Moshood Adebayo
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has lamented prisons congestion in the country, assuring that his administration would partner judiciary and the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to it.
The governor, who said prison congestion had become a major challenge to the state’s justice system, spoke during the inauguration of a new acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba, yesterday.
Sanwo-Olu, who pledged that his administration will embark on the review of the judiciary, also charged the three arms of government to form a synergy for the development of the state.
“The current situation where over 70 percent of inmates in our prisons constitute awaiting trials is not acceptable as it is not a reflection of an efficient justice delivery system. We will also not hesitate to do whatever is required to sustain the ongoing reforms in the judicial sector so the desired result of ensuring the wheel of justice rolls as fast as it could, will be achieved.
‘‘We are all partners in progress. We must continue to work together to deliver the good for the teeming Lagos populace. This is what governance is all about,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu, who expressed confidence in the capacity of the new chief judge, also charged him to continue on the path of progress that has been created in the state judiciary since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
‘’I have absolute confidence in your ability and capacity to sustain and improve on the enviable reputation which the state judiciary has built for itself over the years, particularly since 1999 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“During the tenure of that administration, a solid foundation was laid through the introduction and implementation of critical reforms and initiatives that are aimed at building a judicial system that is efficient, reliable and courageous to uphold the fundamental principles and ideals of equity, fairness, natural justice and the rule of law,’’ he said.
Alogba thanked the governor for the honour and promised to exercise the powers of his office conscientiously for the good of the common man and the furtherance of the administration of justice in Lagos State.