‘I’ll Die Happy If PCC Can Ensure Compliance With Court Judgments’ — Soyinka

Nobel Laureate Condemns Delays By Government Agencies In Enforcing Court Decisions

By Henryrich Ojo | Newsworld

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has challenged the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) to address the persistent failure of government agencies to comply with court judgments, saying resolving the problem would bring him immense satisfaction.

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Soyinka spoke on Thursday while delivering a goodwill message at the inaugural Nigerian Ombudsman Annual Conference organised by the commission in Abuja. He lamented that citizens often spend years pursuing justice in court, only to face further delays when it comes to enforcing the judgments they obtain.

“If you can solve that for me, believe me, I will die happy,” Soyinka said, stressing the need to bridge the gap between judicial decisions and their implementation. He questioned why judgments delivered by competent courts were sometimes ignored by government institutions and expressed concern that some victims died before benefiting from the outcomes of their legal battles. According to the renowned author, the failure to enforce court orders undermines the purpose of the justice system and leaves affected citizens without meaningful relief.

Soyinka cited cases in which citizens reportedly waited for years for government agencies to obey court orders, including directives to return confiscated passports. He described such delayed justice as “medicine after death” and urged the PCC to make addressing non-compliance with court judgments a priority.

He said effective enforcement would help protect citizens’ rights and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system. His remarks placed renewed focus on the responsibility of public institutions to respect judicial decisions and ensure that successful litigants can benefit from the justice they have secured.