Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that delay in the administration of justice was a major challenge that must be jointly tackled by all relevant stakeholders in the justice sector.
Osinbanjo said this during the opening ceremony of a two-day Stakeholders’ Summit organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in Lagos.
He was represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN) at the summit which had the theme: “Contemporary Trends: Catalysts for Justice Sector Reform in Lagos State”.
The Vice President urged judges, lawyers and others to change their attitudes and stand up for what was right.
He charged stakeholders in the administration of justice to take the issue of delay more seriously and shun all forms of delay tactics.
Osinbajo urged the judiciary to embrace day-to-day system for trials and to impose heavy punishment for any deliberate act of delay aimed at stalling cases.
He also said it was important for the judiciary to introduce significant costs for delays, especially those related to lateness, ill-preparedness or deliberate tactics.
The vice president also advised judges who do not sit on time, but rise early, and lawyers who file frivolous applications and employ other delay tactics to desist from such acts.
“If we can agree that these problems are against our collective interests as practitioners and stakeholders, then we must make a firm commitment to tackle the problems by changing our attitude and standing up for what is right,” Osinbajo said.
The vice president applauded Lagos State for its general reputation in making reforms in the justice sector and in many other sectors in Nigeria.
He said that the summit, which was aimed at further initiating reforms in conformity with modern trends, was another example of the state giving the ordinary man a sense of belonging.
Ambode, in his remarks, said the state’s judicial system needed to become an effective tool for the realisation of foreign investment.
He said that Lagosians deserved unequal access to Justice which would help the state achieve its socio-economic goals.
The governor said that the government’s aim was to leave behind a 21st century justice system driven by technology.
According to him, the state intends to provide a DNA laboratory for processing evidence from crime scenes.
“As part of the discussion at this summit, we want you to deliberate on how to make Lagos State legal and judicial system an effective tool for realisation of foreign investment.
“Lagos must be a jurisdiction where business disputes can be robustly resolved in a pragmatic manner.
“Some of the major challenges faced by investors and entrepreneurs include the ease and cost of doing business and over-regulation of business processes.
“The summit should proffer solutions to these,” he said.
Ambode said his administration was mindful of the need to attract foreign and public-private investment, especially in the area of provision of infrastructure.
He said that no economy could develop without sustained infrastructure development.
The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Nkannu Onnoghen, in his address, urged other states to eradicate laws which had become obsolete.
Onnoghen, who was represented by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, Judge of Lagos State High Court, said that laws must be made to conform with the changing trend in the society.
“It is an established fact that the only constant thing in life is change, therefore, if society is constantly changing, the law that regulates it must change, otherwise it will become obsolete,” he said.
The President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), represented by Mr Adeshina Adegbite, National Welfare Officer of the association, said Lagos State was a pacesetter for other states in the administration of justice reform. (NAN)
OCC/FAA/SOA