New legal year: Ubani urges more functional system

Mon, Sep 19, 2022
By editor
2 MIN READ

Judiciary

Dr Monday Ubani, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA SPIDEL), has called for a more functional system in the 2022/23 Legal Year.

Ubani told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday that a functional justice system remained the key to the survival of any nation.

According to him, the judiciary plays a critical role  especially in enforcing legal rights and liabilities.

He urged that the judiciary must deliver justice without fear or favour in the new legal year.

He advised that the judiciary should view all issues from a ‘blind person’s point of view’ so as to achieve ‘clean justice’.

According to him, the 2022/2023 Legal Year must be characterised by an improved justice sector.

“As we commence the new legal year, we expect to see a judiciary that is clearly focused on dispensation of justice.

“A delay in the administration of justice has been a problem in the country, making many to lose confidence in the judiciary.

“If we have in place, a judiciary living up to expectations of stakeholders, then, we can be sure that public confidence will be restored,’’ he said.

According to Ubani, a functional justice system also implies  that lawyers will have improved living standards, as they will be able to effectively utilise fees they charge clients.

“In a situation where a lawyer undertakes a brief and charges his fees, but the case takes up to five or six years in court, the truth is that, as a lawyer, you may have exhausted your pay, yet the case still lingers,’’ he said.

He urged all stakeholders in the justice sector to join hands to ensure a workable legal system for the good of the nation.

“An efficient judiciary can also be a driver of foreign investment, as no one would want to make an investment in a nation with an ailing justice system,’’ he said. (NAN)

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