•Functional judicial system’ll encourage investors, says Ambode

By Moshood Adebayo

Acting President,  Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday  recommended heavy penalty for delay in the administration and quality of justice in the country.

Osinbajo also disclosed that 67,586 awaiting-trial inmates are presently in various prison formations across the country.

Osibanjo, a professor of Law, who spoke as a keynote speaker, at the opening of a two-day stakeholders’ Summit on Administration of Justice, organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice with the theme: ‘Contemporary Trends: Catalysts For Justice Sector Reform in Lagos’, described the development as worrisome.

He urged stakeholders in the administration of justice to take the issue of delay more seriously and shun all forms of delay tactics.  

“It may interest you to note that the highest number of awaiting trials in Nigeria, as at the end of 2015, based on data released by the National Bureau of Statistics and the Nigerian Prison Service, Lagos, has 6,522 prisoners, out of which 5,603 are awaiting trials.”

This, he said represented 85.9 percent of total prison population and 10.4 percent of Nigeria total prison population.

Represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), Osinbajo said it was important for the Judiciary to introduce significant costs for delay occasioned especially by lateness, ill-preparedness or deliberate tactics.

He took a swipe at some judges who would not sit on time and rise early and lawyers who file frivolous applications and employ other delay tactics as well as shoddy police investigation, and admonish them to desist from such.

He said even though Nigeria was trying to get out of recession, it was gratifying that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration deemed it important to invest in the summit,  to address some of the institutional challenges preventing the country from developing a first-class justice system in its commercial nerve centre.

On his part, 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, but also guarantee conducive environment for such businesses to thrive. Governor Ambode said experience over the years has shown that societies with equal and unhindered access to justice have a better environment for economic growth and poverty alleviation than those that do not.

“As a government, we are 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.

“We are mindful of the need to attract foreign investment, and public private investment, especially in the area of provision of infrastructure. No economy can develop without sustained infrastructural development. I firmly believe that discussions around all these issues are pertinent for this august gathering,” the governor said.

The governor also added that his government is working round the clock to ensure a system where all justice institutions in the state are fully automated,

“One of our top priorities is to leave behind a legacy of a 21st century justice sector driven by digital technology and powered by digital literate judicial officers and legal services providers,” he said.

One of such technologies being put in place, governor Ambode said, is the Lagos State DNA Laboratory to process DNA evidence, just as he expressed optimism that it would serve as a powerful criminal justice tool in prosecuting the guilty and exonerating the innocent.

“This will also act as deterrence to criminals whose DNA data are in the DNA database, ultimately, playing a key role in the systematic reduction of crime in our state,” Ambode said.