Paucity of Funds Bane of Justice Delivery, Says FCT CJ

The Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello has identified paucity of fund as one of the major challenges that hamper justice delivery in the country.

Justice Bello who stated this in an interview on ARISE NEWS Channel, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, noted that if the justice sector must perform optimally, government at all levels must show commitment in the provision of necessary funding.

The CJ who commended major actors in the sector such as the police, the judiciary and the correctional service for performing well in the face of the limited resources at their disposal, however called for some radical reforms in order to move the sector forward.

“Against the background of challenges faced by the government apparatus that is the police, the court and the Correctional Service, I will say they have done well in the discharge of their mandates. I repeat, against the background of challenges, because the three require intensive investment in terms of provisions of the wherewithal to either conduct investigations that is referring to the police department or any agency.

“A lot of provisions are required in terms of logistics, scientific apparatus, forensic lab and many other related things for them to perform optimally.

“In the face of paucity of funds, challenges are enormous and they can only perform within the availability of funds and what such paucity of funds can provide in terms of enabling environment for effective performance. The same explanation applies to the judiciary for the purpose of discharging adjudicative responsibilities.

On how paucity of funds affect justice delivery in relation to the Correctional Service, Justice Bello noted that the court may be ready for trial but the defendant is not available due to some logistics and other challenges faced by the service in producing the defendant in court.