Legislators of the 8th House of Assembly in Kogi State have passed into second reading a bill to create an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) court during its plenary session.
The House maintained that the bill will make the judicial process less cumbersome, and remove the strain of delayed justice from individuals and conventional courts.
According to them, these courts are bugged with too many files to treat as is obtainable today as a result of several factors especially with peace becoming more elusive, not only in the country but worldwide.
While addressing the House, the Speaker Aliyu Umar Yusuf who sponsored and presented the bill before his colleagues highlighted several issues surrounding justice delivery which has prompted him to personally advocate for a framework to make ADR court also referred to Multi-Door court work.
He declared ”The bill seeks to make Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a tool for enhancing and promoting resolution of conflict, mutuality and cordiality among our people. Conflict or crisis as we may choose to call it remains a cardinal factor of human existence”.
In addition, he indicated that a council will be established having a chairman as the head, appointed by the State’s Chief Judge.
To this effect, he called on his colleagues to support the bill because the same has been domesticated in many other States of the federation.
The member representing Olamaboro constituency Anthony Ujah seconded the bill while his colleague Bode Ogunmola expressed optimism in its adoption without any delay.
The Deputy Speaker Comfort Nwochiola who presided over the plenary committed the bill to the House Committee on Judiciary Justice and Legal matters for further examination.
In the same vein, a bill for a law for the prevention of HIV and AIDs based discrimination and Protection of the Rights and Dignity of people living with HIV/Aids was also passed for a second reading.
Emmanuel Ukoh
