A lawyer and a social critic, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, has urged the judiciary to open up more Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR) centres across the country to decongest the courts.

Ataene gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

He spoke against the backdrop of the continuous increase in cases being filed in courts, and the inability of the courts to dispense justice as quickly as possible.

Ataene, the Principal Partner of Spurgeon Ataene & Co., told NAN that it would be a healthier option for parties to use the ADR centres than going through a long-drawn court process.

NAN reports that the ADR is a form of dispute resolution that acts as a means for disagreeing parties to reach an agreement, with the help of a third party without resorting to litigation.

The major types of ADR practised in the country are: mediation, arbitration, negotiation and conciliation.

The social commentator added that the idea of the ADR was to decongest the courts and provide for quick and effective dispensation of justice.

“Even in criminal cases, plea bargaining and community service also serve as means of ADR as they prevent long and expensive trials.

“Technicalities of the court procedures, delays in justice and its heavy cost make ADR a more suitable option for most disputants, rather than litigation.

“Let the judiciary build more ADR centres across Nigeria to bring the alternatives closer to the people and free the court of its case load,” he told NAN.

Ataene, however, commended the judiciary for its efforts in including ADR clauses in a number of legislations.

He recommended that it should invest more in ADR as it had become an alternate global solution to quick dispensation of justice. (NAN)

– Jun 9, 2018 @ 15:28 GMT |