President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has implored the nation’s Judiciary to embark on reforms that would ensure a functional justice system that will support a rapidly growing economy, guarantee basic human and political rights of individuals as well as provide security and justice to all Nigerians.
According to him, much can be achieved when institutions of government, including the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, unite to acknowledge their challenges and brainstorm with a view to proffering solutions to the problems bedeviling Nigeria.
President Tinubu gave the charge on Wednesday when he declared open the National Summit on Justice, 2024, held at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the president urged the judiciary to align its activities within the tenets of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly as they relate “to the priorities on inclusivity, fairness, rule of law, and anti-corruption stance, among other things”.
Nothing that his administration had pledged to be impartial and adhere to constitutional principles, he said the Summit availed institutions in the justice sector “with an opportunity to push boundaries by identifying needed system changes and critical reforms that would allow Nigerians to reap the benefits of huge investments in the sector.”
VP Shettima explained that the federal government is determined to implement its policies and promises made to Nigerians for a renewed hope, through the instrumentality of the “law and the dictates of justice to create opportunities for our people .
Outlining the preliminary measures he took in order to reposition the Judiciary in the bid to support a just and rules-based Nigeria, President Tinubu recalled that his administration made funding for the third arm of government a top priority, doubling it in the Renewed Hope budget 2024 by more that 100 per cent from last year’s budget.
Earlier, the Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio commended the commitment of all stakeholders in the justice sector in building a consensus that will ensure a more robust judicial system that guarantees justice for all irrespective of background and social status.
He under sored the commitment of the National Assembly for a more vibrant and transformative justice system, assuring that the legislature will play its part by deliberating on the outcome of the summit in a bid to enshrine the outcomes into law.
On his part, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice OLUKAYODE Ariwoola, said given expectations from the judiciary, undertaking a holistic reform of the sector had become necessary, noting that “constitutional, statutory and operational reforms in the justice sector is imperative in meeting the aspirations and yearnings of the general public. He attributed most of the achievements recorded in the judiciary to the support of Tinubu administration, particularly in the enhancement of the welfare of judicial officers and improvement in their working environment.
Other speakers speakers at the event include the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau who commended leaders in the justice sector for convening the summit and noted that reforming practices and mechanism for operations in the sector was critical to the overall economic transformation of the country and a former Chief Justice of Kenya, Dr Willy Mutunga, who looked at constitutional and overall justice sector reforms in Kenya and Nigeria and repositioning for an African justice system.
Citing the sharia law system in Nigeria, specifically, Dr Mutunga said the development of a jurisprudence that is African-based will go a long way in reinstating confidence of the people in the judiciary.
Also present at the event were the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau Jibrin; Ministers of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Muhammad Idris and Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo among others.
