National summit to deepen accessible justice system
ATTORNEY General of the Federation ( AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has said efforts were being made to make Nigerians access justice and fair play unhindered.
At a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday, the AGF said the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA) were putting together a National Summit on Justice Sector, where all factors hindering the effectiveness of Nigerian laws would be tackled.
The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to the AGF, will on April 24 declare the summit open in Abuja to address critical challenges in the nation’s justice sector.
According to Fagbemi, the anticipated summit, holding from April 24 to 25, will be hosted by the Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA) and National Judicial Council ( NJC). The summit, with the theme, “Repositioning the Justice System: Constitutional, Statutory, and Operational Reforms for Access and Efficiency”, the minister said, would hold at National Judicial Institute ( NJI) in Abuja.
The event, Fagbemi added, would address challenges plaguing Nigeria’s justice sector and pave the way for the much- needed reforms that would make justice more accessible to all Nigerians.
He said the summit would bring together experts, legal professionals and key stakeholders from across the country to engage in constructive discussions and develop practical solutions that prioritize the justice needs of the average Nigerian.
“The Joint Planning Committee established by the Federal Ministry of Justice and the NBA, headed by the Chairman of the NBA Judiciary Committee, Dr Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, has assembled a remarkable group of speakers and panelists to share their invaluable knowledge and expertise and proffer constructive solutions for making the justice system more efficient and accessible to all Nigerians”, the AGF and Minister of Justice stated.
He added that the summit will feature a keynote address by Dr Willy Mutunga, a renowned legal scholar, jurist and former Chief Justice of Kenya, celebrated for his commitment to democratic principles and human rights, and for the transformative judicial reform that took place in Kenya under his watch.
One of the Summit’s goals, the Minister said, is to review, validate, and adopt the revised National Policy on Justice 2024 - 2028 to drive prison reforms, access to justice for the average Nigerian, as well as the review of electoral laws and procedures in handling election related cases, among several other reforms.