Date: 2016-12-29

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Kwara State, Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, has said that the need to eliminate the challenges facing the state judiciary is responsible for the setting up of the Justice Sector Reform Team.

He noted that over the years, the nation's judiciary had been bedevilled with challenges that ranged from obsolete laws to slow judicial processes and absence of laws that could enhance cohesion and economic development.

In an electronic message to our correspondent on Wednesday, Ajibade stated that the Justice Sector Reform Team was inaugurated by the Kwara State Government to address the challenges and reform the judicial system.

According to him, the State Justice Sector reform team consists of the representatives of the state Judiciary, the Attorney General, the state Commissioner of Police, the state Comptroller of Prisons, representatives of the Nigeria Bar Association, the state Director, Department of State Services and some members of the Legal Aid Council.

Ajibade said that for administrative convenience, the state adopted the Technical Committee approach to run the team's affairs. The technical committee is headed by the AG while representatives of the other stakeholders are members.

Ajibade added that the technical committee was to serve as the vehicle for driving the reform of the justice sector through coordinated cross-sector approach, with the aim of improving access to justice and providing speedy, fair and equitable justice service for all in the state.

The Attorney General added that the technical committee would serve as a forum for identifying, developing, implementing and managing an all-inclusive reform strategy under the rule of law; coordinating the development and implementation of policies which would improve justice delivery and achieving higher operational standards.