The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has said the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government is committed to reforming the justice sector in the country.
He made this known in his remarks on Sunday, during the Opening Ceremony of the 64th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference, ongoing in Lagos.
Fagbemi said the president has taken particular interests in the welfare of judicial officers by signing into law the bill for an increase in their remuneration.
He also lauded the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy, which ended the oppression they have so far faced in the hand of the state government.
He said, “For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a collaborative National Justice Summit was convened by the Federal Ministry of Justice, National Judicial Council and the Nigerian Bar Association.
“What in my humble view is even more noteworthy is the statement of future activities presented in the format of a communique and signed by the Chief Justice of the Federation, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association and myself.
“Going forward, these three institutions now have a framework and a joint agenda for cooperation, collaboration and commitment on Justice Sector Reform.
“I want to particularly recognize the commitment of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his unwavering commitment to improving the status of judicial officers in Nigeria.
“I have said that improved remuneration for us is not the beginning and the end of our intervention in the judiciary. We are keen to work collaboratively with all institutions of government that other issues that are crucial to strengthening the capacity of our judiciary are dealt with expeditiously.
“We will not simply be spectators in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to set Nigeria on an irreversible path towards socio and economic growth.
“It is for this reason that we provided leadership and support to citizens agitation for local government autonomy. I am pleased to report that following the landmark decision of the Supreme Court, we have moved closer to fulfilling the aspiration of Nigerians for a local government structure that serves our people at the grassroots.
“The holistic review of the Laws of the Federation is an important deliverable of mine. Over the next few days, I will be inaugurating a Working Group made up of public and private legal practitioners to oversee this exercise. I expect that by the time we all gather again in 2025, we would have a positive report to present on this exercise.
Fagbemi noted that the successes so far achieved cannot be compared with the task ahead, but said with continuous support and collaboration, the justice sector will continue to experience huge improvements.