Nigeria Must Urgently Address Slow Judicial Process – Osinbajo – Channels Television

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo chaired a justice summit by Wole Olanipekun & Co., WOC, on reforms of the justice sector in Lagos on November 17, 2021.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo believes that the slow process of justice in the country needs to be addressed urgently.

He made the remark on Friday when he was chairing a Wole Olanipekun & Co., WOC, Justice Summit on Justice Sector Reforms on the occasion of the 70th

The vice president described the problem of legal delays as an “elephant in the room” and, according to a statement signed by his spokesman Laolu Akande, wondered what would happen to the country’s legal profession in “another 50 years in the face of traffic collapse” handling cases by the Courts and the question of the integrity of the legal process, or better yet, the integrity of those involved in legal process in Nigeria. “

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The Vice President highlighted the delays in Nigerian courts and recalled “how the UK Court of Appeals had an opportunity to speak on the case (IPCO v. NNPC.) [2015] EWCA Civ 1144), where a challenge to enforcement of an arbitral award by a Nigerian arbitral tribunal has been filed before the English Court of Appeal. “

The Vice President stated that “the court described the delays in parallel trials in a Nigerian court as catastrophic and that it could take another 30 years to resolve.”

“The expert who testified about delays in Nigerian courts was a former Supreme Court judge who said it could take 20 to 30 years for a case to be resolved in a Nigerian court,” said the vice president.

Prof. Osinbajo called for further engagements from stakeholders on the integrity of the legal process and its key players, particularly judges and lawyers, to provide solutions to the challenge of litigation delays.

“I’m looking forward to the talks we’re going to have today (Friday) and I can suggest as a house rule that we focus on practical and actionable ideas, not on warming up the problems. We are all experts in knowing the problem. “

Describing the celebrant Olanipekun as “one of the most consistent and influential lawyers in the Commonwealth,” the vice president added that in addition to his awards and achievements, his friendliness, philanthropy and faith have influenced many lives.

He thanked God for giving the jurist “an always youthful physique and an always youthful disposition to let whole juries see his sometimes daring points; his disarming wit and humor, his sometimes lyrical and poetic remarks, quoting from classics and scriptures, easily make him one of the most outstanding minds in the advocacy of this or any other generation.

“But I’m sure what must have given him as much, if not more, satisfaction as his performance in the legal profession is how he has influenced the lives of hundreds who have shown him his kindness, his many charities and charities, and Failure to repay his life can make several contributions to the growth and reach of the gospel. “

For his part, celebrant Olanipekun said the Justice Summit organized by his law firm was one of his humble contributions to the advancement of the judicial system in Nigeria and remains a matter of concern and should concern stakeholders.

He urged speakers and attendees to persevere in their efforts to reform the judiciary and stressed that the progress that society is seeking is largely linked to justice and justice.

Panelists at the event included the immediate former Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Olarenwaju Fagbohun, who gave the keynote address on “Implementing Justice Sector Reforms”, the Chief Judge of Borno State, Hon. Judge Kashim Zannah, who spoke on “Anchoring The Integrity of Processes in Judicial Appointments ”, while a retired Supreme Court Justice Hon. Judge Paul Galumje spoke on the subject of“ Anchoring the Integrity of Processes in Judicial Reforms ”.

Others included human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, who spoke on the subject of “Political Influence on Judicial Appointments”; former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Abubakar Mahmud, SAN, who died on

“How to Balance Diversity, Gender, Inclusion and Merit in Appointing Judges” and Ms. Funke Adekoya, SAN, spoke on “Essential Cooperation for Successful Justice Reform Implementation”.

At the WOC Justice Summit, Ms. Ibukun Awosika, a non-lawyer also spoke on the “impact of judicial reforms on public trust”.

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