By Jacinta Nwachukwu
Some stakeholders in the judiciary have advocated adequate funding in the judicial system to enhance the overall efficiency of the sector.
The stakeholders expressed their concern during the 2024 Access to Justice Parley organised by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), on Wednesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Access to Justice project, an initiative of PPDC, is supported from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
The Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, Lucy Abagi, said that there was need to adequately fund the justice sector, saying that the sector was underdeveloped and lacked the capacity to adequately address the justice needs of the population.
“Nigeria’s criminal justice system encompasses a network of courts, law enforcement agencies, prosecution offices and correctional facilities.
“Unfortunately, these institutions remain underdeveloped and lack the capacity to adequately address the justice needs of the population,” Abagi said.
According to her, judicial process is plagued by systemic delays, frustrating users and diminishing the likelihood of timely justice.
She said that the delays had also contributed to the rising number of pretrial detainees in detention centres, describing it as a growing concern for human rights.
The Attorney General of Yobe, Saleh Samanja, said that the programme was apt, adding that the justice sector in Nigeria was facing numerous challenges, “including issues with funding, logistics and capacity enhancement”.
Samanja underscored the need for better infrastructure and resources and called for increased training and development for justice sector personnel.
“Funding the judiciary is insufficient, other areas such as the police and correctional ccentres also need funding to achieve desired reforms.”
He further said that there was need for collaboration between the judiciary, police, correctional centres and other justice sector.
On his part, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chris Umar, in his keynote address, said that justice reforms could not be sustained without public buy-in.
Discussing on the theme of the event: “Advancing Effective Innovative and Inclusive Justice Reforms in Nigeria”, Umar said that the general public must be educated about their rights and empowered to use the justice system with confidence.
He noted that the effectiveness of any reform was only as strong as the capacity of those who implemented it.
He said that judges, lawyers and court officials must be equipped with ongoing training and professional development opportunities to keep up with best practices, new technologies and evolving laws.
He further stressed that the responsibility of advancing effective, innovative and inclusive justice reforms in Nigeria rested on everyone’s shoulder. (NAN)