The Chairman of the Performance and Evaluation Committee of the National Judicial Council, Yinka Ayoola has defended his committee’s recommendation of 24 judgments a year for judges, starting from 2004.He said it was not borne out of wickedness but thorough consideration of past events and focus on how the future of judicial system in the country will brightened.

Speaking at the public presentation of the Digest of Judgment of the Supreme Court, written by Olatokunbo Bamgbose, in Ibadan on Tuesday, Ayoola said it was wrong and counter-productive for a judge to write one or two judges in a year when it was possible to do better.“The minimum number of judgement that a judge should deliver in a year is 24. We did not recommend that standard out of ignorance but from our knowledge of horrible statistics that were brought before us. There are cases where a judge writes three judgments in a year.

"There are also cases where a judge writes one judgment in a year. It also occurred to us that there are cases where a judge writes more than 50 judgments in a year.” Unfortunately, they all earn salary and allowances that look the same. “I am therefore surprised to read in the newspapers a few days ago where some people complained that we have set a standard that is unattainable. I cannot imagine why a judge should find it difficult to write two judgments in a month. But the National Judicial Council did not put down the standard out of wickedness," he said.

According to him, the committee also suggested to the Chief Justice of the

Federation, Aloma Mukhtar, that judges should be provided with legal assistant to do research for them and I am happy that she has accepted.

Ayoola said that in reaching at the decision, reference was made to past record,adding that law books were available tools that could ease the work of the judges.

“Some people think that we were imposing standard we have never attained. It must be said that in Western Nigeria, we attained the standard and it will be painful if we fall below it. The law digest just published is a veritable tool in law profession. It is also a useful research tool. "It will be inexcusable for a judge not to deal quickly with criminal cases because we now have volumes one and two of the law digest which contain everything a judge needs in term of authority to prepare judgment on a criminal case within 24 hours,”he said.