The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, says the onus lies on judiciary to always deliver justice to the people, adding that justice is still a far reality for most Nigerians.
The CJN stated this while delivering a speech at the National Summit on Justice organised by the Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Bar Association which is currently going on in Abuja.
Ariwoola said that judicial officers must critically look at the legal framework and must be bold in their legislative reforms.
He stated that the judiciary must leverage on technological innovation, adding that it is very important to address issues of corruption, inefficiency, and undue influence.
The CJN said that the judiciary under his watch, has recorded a significant milestone.
In his own speech, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the justice sector under his watch will continue to push for mutuality in the formation and implementation of the national policy on justice.
Giving a brief history on how the national judicial summit was born, Fagbemi said the idea was conceived in 2017 with the aim of providing a veritable platform for analysing, reviewing and accessing issues affecting the Administration of Justice in Nigeria.
He added that the summit provides the platform for building a consensus for the advancement of the justice sector as an enabler for socio-economic development.
Other dignitaries at the event include the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, and the president of the Court of Appeal,Justice Monica Dongbam-Mendez. Other Heads of Superior Courts are also present.
The aim of the summit is to deliberate on ways to reduce the amount of time for adjudication of cases and the number of cases that gets to the Supreme Court. This is a means of unburdening the apex court.
Other issues affecting the judiciary will be deliberated on during this two-day summit.
