Kwara Governor Canvasses Judicial Reform

Kwara state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, has again underscored the importance of reform in the country’s judicial system in order to ensure confidence in the system and facilitate expeditious dispensation of justice.
The governor, who also advocated for stiffer sanctions for kidnappers, made the call at the 2016 Kwara State Justice Sector Reform Awareness and Training programme held yesterday at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Ilorin.

According to the governor, “Nigeria requires reforms in almost all sectors in order to achieve the transformation that we all seek for current and future generations of Nigerians. Notwithstanding its significant contributions to the country’s development and sustenance of democratic governance,” governor Ahmed said, “the justice sector is in no less need of reform which increases confidence in the system by ensuring that the judiciary sustains its reputation as the citizen’s last refuge.”
The governor believes that “given the fact that a peaceful and lawful society is germane to development, an effective judicial system is also critical given its capacity to ensure the orderliness and peace necessary for economic growth and advancement.”
While urging security agencies in the state to redouble efforts to prevent and detect kidnapping and abduction in the State, Governor Ahmed call for stiffer punishments and sanctions for those convicted of abduction and kidnapping in the State.
The governor commended the Technical Committee of Justice Sector Reform Team for coming up with the “Revised Layman’s Law of Kwara State” saying it is a simplified compilation of the Law of the State in simple, easy to understand language.
“The Layman’s Law”, he said, “will increase compliance with the law and potentially reduce crimes and disputes as the dictates of the law become accessible to a wider cross section of the society”.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kwara State, Barrister Kamaldeen Ajibade, said the Justice Sector Reform Team is an initiative of the state government to quicken dispensation of justice and bring justice to the door step of residents in the State.