The Anambra State House of Assembly in its plenary held on Thursday, 28 July 2022 adopted the Anambra State Multi-Door CourtHouse Bill 2021, and for other connected matters for the second reading.
The Majority Leader, Hon Nnamdi Okafor, representing Awka South I Constituency in his introductory speech, informed the House that the Bill was due for second reading. On this note, he moved a motion asking the Hon House that a bill for a law to provide for the establishment of Anambra State Multi-Door Court House and for other related matters be read for the second time. The Minority Leader, Hon. Onyebuch Augustine, Offor, representing Ekwusigo Constituency, seconded the motion.
Shading more light on the Bill, Hon Nnamdi Okafor, said the Bill was very important for the people of Anambra state. According to him, “the people of Nigeria, Ndi Anambra included are all aware that when any dispute comes to Nigerian court, it takes years to be resolved. Some cases take eternity and are eventually end up never resolved. In most cases, before judgments are given, some of the parties in disputes die, all thanks to the long period of time it takes Nigeria courts to settle adjudicate cases.” Therefore, the purpose of the current Bill was to give Ndi Anambra alternative means of dispute resolution. The aim of the Bill specifically, includes the following objectives:
- To enhance access to justice by providing alternative mechanisms to supplement litigations in the resolution of disputes
- To minimize citizens’ frustrations and delays in justice delivery by providing a standard legal framework for the fair and efficient settlement of dispute by using ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)
- To serve as a focal point for the promotion of ADR in Anambra state
- And to promote the growth of effective and functioning justice system using alternate dispute mechanism
Hon Okafor went ahead to aver that the Bill would create a room for all the means that would be used to achieve these purposes of ADR. The Bill also recommended a mediation center as one of the means of dispute resolution. There would also be dispute resolution specialists whose key functions would be to make sure that ADR is achieved in Anambra State through mediation and arbitration without wasting time and resources. He hence urged the Hon colleagues to do all they could to ensure that the Bill passed through the second reading to enable the speaker to refer it to the legal team for more deliberations and onward actions.
Speaking in favour of the Bill, Hon Chidi Udemmadu, representing Ihiala I Constituency emphasized the importance of passing the bill. For him passing, the Bill was long overdue. “ADR as known by every lawyer is an important aspect of law that has given litigants the opportunity to pursue their rights from a different framework, different from the conventional court processes. The most important aspect of the bill is that it shortens the time that is wasted in the normal court procedures. It also creates room for reconciliation and friendship because it enables an atmosphere for cordiality instead of the normal wrangling between lawyers in the normal court processes.” Another good side of the ADR as enumerated by Hon Udemmadu is that it was less capital intensive because it doesn’t prolong cases as normal courts do. It was therefore his opinion that ADR will help Ndi Anambra especially people who are not well withal to pursue justice and get it. He therefore called on the house to assign the Bill to the legal committee for further legislative process.
Hon. Tim, Ifediorama, representing Njikoka I, described the bill as a very welcomed development in Anambra State’s legal jurisprudence. As such, it was obvious that ADR was where the state ought to be and where the new face of law was going. The importance of ADR was that it offered the means of dispute resolution and justice without going through the normal details and technicalities of the normal court process. Not only was it cheaper but results would be achieved faster than the normal court legal litigations. “In the normal court process, one person wins while the other losses thereby causing friction and irreconcilabilities for the parties involved but ADR creates a win-win situation thereby making room for reconciliation and friendship.” The bill if approved would decongest the Anambra litigation system because a lot of cases would be settled out of court.
Hon Pascal Agbodike, representing Ihiala II Constituency also spoke in favour of passing the Bill through the second reading arguing that it was in conformity with Igbo tradition and culture. “In Igbo land we have alternative way of resolving dispute between two brothers. However, with the advent of colonialism, the power of applying this traditional means of dispute resolution was suppressed.” Thus, with the establishment of the ADR Bill, the power of this traditional system that was more at home with our people would be restored. Furthermore, the Bill would give the opportunity to Ndi Anambra to resolve many lingering cases because truth was quite different from justice. Someone might sue his brother to court and won the case but that victory didn’t represent peace and reconciliation which were necessary for justice. ADR in settling disputes would about love, reconciliation between families and communities. “There is wars everywhere between individuals and communities. There are also agitations. This alternative dispute resolution will help to bring lasting peace in Anambra. It can even help to resolve the issue of insecurity troubling the state. He therefore called on his Hon colleagues to give their supports for the speedy passage of the bill.
Agreeing with the arguments laid out by his Hon colleagues, Hon Pete Ibida, representing Njikoka II, insisted that passing the bill was an urgent necessity. Describing himself as a key protagonist to the bill, Hon Ibida said the Bill was people oriented, has human face and would help to speed up the justice system in Anambra State. The Bill when passed would eliminate all the albatrosses associated with the normal court processes. He was very comfortable with the Bill because it will help to reduce the cost of litigation. Its people friendliness would reduce the phobia and fear associated with the court. “Mr. Speaker, you can see everybody is in support of this bill, therefore I throw in my towel as a protagonist for the bill” contended the Nimo born lawmaker.
Hon Emeka Affoka, representing Orumba North Constituency also supported the bill. He was highly impressed when he read the bill, especially the page three part of it that talked about panel of neutrals which meant a group of mediators, arbitrators, neutral evaluators and private judges. This according to him meant that the Bill if passed into law would create jobs for many professionals who were well vested in the area of reconciliation. “Therefore, the importance of the bill cannot be overemphasized. Our courts are already over congested and required this kind of decongesting mechanism.”
Overall, all the Hon Members of the house who spoke believed that passing the bill would be an important way the state house of assembly would endorses with its signature, a means of dispute resolution that was more at home with the Igbo culture.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Uche Okafor summarizing the various submissions of the Hon members asked the Clerk to read the Bill before the House for voting. The Clerk presented the Bill as follows: “A bill to provide for the establishment of Anambra Multi-Door Court House and for other related matters second reading.” The Bill was overwhelmingly passed for second reading upon which the Speaker referred to the House committee on Judiciary and ask them to do justice to the bill and let the house have the report on next adjourned date.
The majority Leader, Hon. Nnamdi Okafor moved a motion for the House to be adjourned until next week Tuesday, the 2nd day of August 2022, at exactly 10am. Ejike Okechukwu representing Aniocha II Constituency seconded the motion and the House adjourned to reconvene at the said date.
