Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Iyabo Yerima, has inaugurated a 14-member advisory committee to facilitate the Court Administration and Case Management project in the state.
Justice Yerima, who expressed joy over the inauguration of the committee, performed the ceremony on Thursday in Ibadan.
She said: “Justice is more than a principle; it is the foundation and lifeblood of a society that aspires for fairness, equity and progress.”
She described the project as a testament to the collective resolve to create a justice system that would serve the society efficiently and effectively, as “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the CACM project is aimed at promoting speedy justice delivery through the digitisation of court processes and other judicial processes.
Yerima, while commending the Public and Private Development Centre for bringing the project to the state, pledged government’s cooperation in ensuring its successful implementation.
According to her, the committee is aimed at addressing the capacity and infrastructure deficit in the criminal justice institutions by providing modern tools, technology and training to improve their operations.
She said: “It will interest you to know that this initiative includes: judges, court registrars, secretaries, investigators, prosecutors, private lawyers, correctional institutions, the police force and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, among others.
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“It also includes: deploying improved case management systems designed to foster better coordination and efficiency among the state judiciary, law enforcement agencies and other justice-related institutions.
“The International Narcotics and Law Enforcement programme is committed to advancing justice delivery, which aligns with our shared objectives of a criminal justice system.”
The Chief Judge said that the inauguration was not merely about the launch of a project, but a reinforcement of her pledge to uphold the rule of law.
“As we embark on this journey, we must remember that the strength of any justice system lies not only in its structures and processes, but also in the dedication and integrity of the judicial officers, law enforcement agencies and the private sector,” she said.
Yerima urged all stakeholders to embrace the initiative with a spirit of collaboration and commitment to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
The Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, Lucy Abagi, said the project would improve access to justice and provide a platform to share the experiences, learning, impacts and challenges encountered during its implementation.
Abagi, represented by PPDC’s Deputy Senior Programme Manager, Lukman Adefolahan, said it would also serve as a platform to introduce government officials, CSOs and other relevant leaders to the Reforming Pre-Trial Detention in Nigeria project.
This, she said, would reduce the number of pre-trial detainees and implement custodial measures as a means of decongesting detention facilities.
Abagi said that this was with the aim of promoting alternatives to custodial measures and addressing the root causes of crimes and conflicts in the communities.
“The projects are designed to promote values and initiatives that drive institutional, behavioural and systemic change in the society,” she said.
Abagi added that the project had four major areas of focus, namely: court administration, case management, case scheduling and notifications.
NAN reports that the project was funded with support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
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