After eight weeks of vacation, full activities have resumed at the Federal and State High Courts for the 2014/2015 legal year. New legal year services have also been held to mark commencement of the session. But stakeholders are concerned about the readiness of the courts to tackle pending cases as well as ensure quick justice delivery. JUDE KENNETH spoke to a number of them on their expectation.
With the commencement of 2014/2015 new legal year in federal and state high courts on September 15 and 12 respectively, there are high expectations that cases which have been pending for a very long period, having suffered many adjournments in the federal and state high courts, and magistrate courts will be given accelerated hearing and dispensed as quickly as possible.
Litigants should be spared the agony of coming to court persistently for a case that should have ordinarily not taken more than six months. In addition to time consuming, is the financial involvement. Sometimes, litigants abandon their cases due to their counsel’s incessant demand for money on each adjourned date. They became exasperated and disillusioned. The aftermath is the striking out of the cases due to lack of diligent prosecution.
Judicial officers and administrators of justice should not allow the common man to lose confidence in the judiciary because it is their last hope in terms of obtaining justice.
Ade Ipaye, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice decried delays in justice delivery, and told journalists what his expectations in the 2014/2015 new legal year are with regard to quick dispensation of cases pending in courts.
He said the issue of delay in the dispensation of justice is a big problem, but assured that the judiciary in Lagos State has progressively reduced the hiccups by increasing the pace of adjudication.
He said the new legal year was beginning with expectations which will even be better for the judicial system in Lagos State.
“The Lagos State government is committed to providing all that is necessary in terms of support, in terms of equipment, in terms of training opportunities to enable our judges and magistrates to be at their best always,” the Attorney General explained.
He disclosed that verbatim court reporters have been deployed in a few of the courts, adding that training is still ongoing with plan to deploy more verbatim court reporters in all the High and Magistrate courts in Lagos State.
He posited that the deployment of court verbatim reporters would enable the judges and magistrates move more speedily in dispensing cases.
“Training is still ongoing and the plan is to deploy verbatim reporters in all the High Courts and all the magistrate courts in Lagos State. That by itself would enable the judges to move more speedily,” Ipaye stressed.
“They wouldn’t have to write down everything that the lawyers or the witnesses are saying. So that is a major step,” he said.
Ipaye disclosed that they have continued to expose all the judicial personnel to keep to management practices in other jurisdictions so that they would know their best in the knowledge of what is necessary to make the cases move more speedily.
“We are also cooperating with the police and the prisons in terms of criminal justice adjudication to make sure that we all work seamlessly and in that way, cases will receive more attention,” he further said.
Other lawyers also spoke of their expectation in the new legal year.
In a brief interview, onetime first vice chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch Adeshina Ogunlana said: “I expect a robust year in terms of quality performance on the part of the judges and the lawyers.”
He said as a lawyer, he would normally want the administration of justice not only to be speedy but to be just, adding that it also depends, not only on the judges, but on the lawyers as well.
He advised judges to have at the back of their mind the oath of office which they took and to the lawyers, to remember the ethics and etiquette of the profession, pointing out that their first commitment should be to see that justice is done and not to see that the interest of their client is protected.
Ogunlana expressed optimism that the new Chief Judge of Lagos State, Olufunmilayo Atilade will build upon the legacy of her predecessor, Ayotunde Phillips and perform creditably well.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), J.K Gadzama said he was impressed with the turnout of judges, senior advocates, junior lawyers and non-lawyers at the 2014/2015 legal year, predicting that it would be one of the most successful legal year ceremonies of Lagos State.
“It is a very good start and you know with a good start, you have your way through in whatever you are doing,” said Gadzama.
While answering question on his expectation in quick justice delivery in Lagos State within the new legal year, Professor Taiwo Osipitan (SAN) said it will be a very successful year for the bench, for the bar as well as the litigants. Osipitan however advocated a conference of all stakeholders in the judicial system to resolve issues affecting quick justice delivery and administration.
He said: “I believe that it is time for us all, whether as lawyers, whether as law teachers, whether as magistrates, whether as judges, to have what is called a frank stakeholders conference where we need to tell ourselves the home truth.”
According to him, the problem of delays is not just for the judiciary alone.
“The lawyers contribute towards delay, litigants themselves contribute towards delay, so it is a problem that everybody will have to come out, identify the problem and resolve collectively to move the court forward because unless we do that very soon, people will lose confidence in the judiciary system,” he posited.
Osipitan cautioned that if people lose confidence in the judicial system, they would find an alternative means to settle their differences, preferably through self-help, stressing that it will portend bad signal for the judiciary while the consequences would be an invitation to anarchy and chaos.
He explained that time was ripe for a very frank stakeholder’s conference; otherwise the legal profession would be extinguished other than expected.
On his part, another Lagos lawyer, W.A Gbadebo said his expectations is that people should be up and doing. He said the judges, lawyers, judicial officers and others involved in justice delivery should be up and doing in order to meet the expectations of all the litigants and members of the public.
Gbadebo said: “Everybody looks forward to the judiciary. That is the last resort of the common man and in a situation where they go there and are frustrated, it doesn’t really augur well for the satisfaction of the members of the public.
“I think we can look forward to see good delivery of justice because justice delayed is justice denied.”
He added that when people submit their dispute to the jurisdiction of the court, then their expectations should actually materialise on time and not a situation where one goes to court and the matter hangs there for ever.
Gbadebo therefore advised people involved in the dispensation of justice to get themselves prepared to work very hard for the progress and timely delivery of judgements, adding that if those concerned play their roles, “litigants will be happy, members of the public will be happy and, in fact that will enhance the position and status of our judiciary.”
