Justice Sector Reform Key To President Tinubu’s Administration- Minister 

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) has disclosed that the reform of the justice sector is at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s developmental blueprint.

Fagbemi stated this on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the conference of the Network of Justice Sector Reform Teams( JSRTs) in Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria.

The conference was organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice with the support of the European Union-funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II) Programme of the International IDEA.

Fagbemi said: “As you are aware, the reform of the justice sector is at the heart of this administration’s developmental blueprint. You may recall that one of the cardinal items on our Renewed Hope Agenda as an administration, is to drive judicial reforms to achieve sustainable socio-economic growth and investment, facilitated by the rule of law, and to address the challenges militating against the administration of justice in our country.

The minister, however, noted that the pursuit of justice lies at the heart of Nigerian’s collective aspirations for a fair and equitable society, adding that, “It is a fundamental pillar upon which the rule of law rests, and it is essential for the maintenance of peace, stability, and social cohesion. However, as we gather here today, we do so against the backdrop of persistent challenges that continue to hinder the effectiveness and accessibility of our justice system “.

He restated the commitment of the federal government to addressing challenges in the justice system, through strategic policies and other mechanisms that will have a direct impact on improving democratic norms, the rule of law, access to justice and minimum standards for the enforcement of human rights.

He said that the government has undertaken some reformative initiatives that drive critical reforms in the justice sector.

” For instance, I recently inaugurated the Presidential Committee for the Review and Update of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 to identify obsolete laws and take steps to update and consolidate our laws. Furthermore, with the support of all stakeholders, the National Policy on Arbitration and National Policy on Justice have been developed as blueprints that outline the desired reforms in the justice sector.

” It is pertinent for me to state also that at the heart of our reform agenda in the justice sector is the National Policy on Justice, which identifies the root causes of the failures and inadequacies of the justice system, and its adverse impact on the nation. The Policy seeks to consolidate various reform efforts and achieve inter-agency (institutional) cooperation and coordination. Its purpose is to achieve a consensus amongst stakeholders for driving holistic development of all processes, or components of the Nigerian justice system.

” We recognise that Nigeria practices a federal system of government, which envisages a synergetic relationship between the centre and the sub-nationals otherwise known as federating units. It is on this basis that we continue to engage with our colleagues from the states, to come up with uniform strategies to address our common challenges,” Fagbemi explained.

While declaring the conference open, the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stated that the conference couldn’t have come at a better time as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mobilizes the Honourable Attorney General and his team to rejig the system for better outcomes.

According to him, he has confidence that the JSRT will address all pending issues on judicial reforms from a position of knowledge and patriotism, and in a way that strengthens public confidence in the judicial system.

“I wish you a blessed stay in Ilorin as you articulate appropriate mechanisms to drive justice sector reform in the country, “ the governor declared.

On the essence of the RoLLAC II conference, Mr Oluwatoyin Badejogbin said that there was a need to identify gaps within the justice system in the country and fix them.

“This gap leads to anomalies like congestion in the correctional facilities and slow pace of delivering justice in the country,” he said.

Dominica Nwabufo