Canvasses punishment for delay in dispensation of justice
The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has urged the judiciary to embrace a day-to-day system of trial and introduce significant costs and punishment for delays that are associated with lateness, ill-preparedness or deliberate tactics aim at stalling cases.
This, he said, was a major challenge in the administration of justice that must be jointly tackled by all relevant stakeholders in the sector.He also urged judges, lawyers and others to change their attitudes and stand up for what is right.
Osinbajo stated this at the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ summit organised by Lagos State Ministry of Justice.The Acting President, who spoke on the theme “Contemporary Trends: Catalysts for Justice Sector Reform in Lagos State, was represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).
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He said stakeholders in the administration of justice must begin to take the issue of delay more seriously. They must shun all forms of delay tactics, he said, adding: “Lagos State has a general reputation for trailblazing reforms in the justice sector and in many other sectors in Nigeria and beyond.
“The summit, which is aimed at further initiating reforms in conformity with modern trends, was another testament of the fact that the reputation of the state was being taken seriously by the current administration ably led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.”
In the same vein, Ambode said for any nation to experience economic growth, it must first have a functional judicial system that would not only encourage local and foreign investors to invest in the state, but also guarantee conducive environment for such businesses to thrive.
The governor stated: “As a government, we are well aware that to achieve our socio-economic goals of a safer, secured, peaceful and more prosperous Lagos State, we need a functioning justice sector, which guarantees not only the maintenance of law and order, the enforcement of human rights and freedom, but also provides an administration of justice ambience that protects investments and encourages economic development.”
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He stressed that one of the technologies being put in place is the Lagos State DNA laboratory to process evidence, which would serve as a powerful criminal justice tool in prosecuting the guilty and exonerating the innocent.
Credit: Guardian
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