President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasized the critical need for a functional justice system in Nigeria to support its rapidly growing economy. He highlighted the urgency for reforms to restore confidence in the system. Speaking at the two-day National Summit on Justice 2024 in Abuja, Tinubu stressed the importance of continuous reforms to ensure access to goods, services, and social mobility for all Nigerians.
The summit, organized by the Federal Ministry of Justice with support from various organizations, including the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), aims to address challenges facing the justice system. Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged the issues of delays and backlogs in the courts and pledged to address them. He called for reforms to eliminate interlocutory appeals and prevent the abuse of ex-parte orders.
Chief Justice of Nigeria Olukayode Ariwoola called for a holistic reform of the justice system, focusing on tackling corruption. Attorney-General of the Federation Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) highlighted the government's efforts to enhance access to justice through draft constitution amendment bills. President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, urged justice sector institutions to use the summit to identify and seek solutions to regulatory, operational, and institutional challenges.
Tinubu emphasized the need for the justice system to be responsive to the needs of Nigerians, promoting improved access to justice, integrity of justice sector institutions, timeliness and quality of justice delivery, accountability, transparency, and public trust. He called on justice sector institutions and professionals to align their activities with the priorities of inclusivity, fairness, rule of law, and anti-corruption stance. Tinubu reiterated his administration's commitment to funding the judiciary and improving the welfare of judicial officers.
