Date: 2016-12-15

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kwara State, Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, have said the justice system in the country needs further reforms in view of its significant contributions to the country's development and the sustenance of democratic governance.

The governor and the AG spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during the 2016 edition of the state's Justice Sector Reform Awareness and Training programme on held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ahmed stated that while the recent interventions such as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, addressed some of the critical bottlenecks in criminal justice, the judicial system as a whole could still benefit from additional reforms.

The governor said a truly reformed justice system would increase the citizens' confidence and enhance the reputation and the integrity of the court.

He added that a reformed judicial system would ensure respect for the rule of law, deter crimes and encourage the citizens to embrace lawful conducts.

These, he said, would precipitate a peaceful and lawful society, which was germane to development, economic growth and societal advancement.

Ahmed said, "This need for judicial reform is now being handled as an issue of national importance. At the sub-national level, our government is at the forefront of the effort to procure this desired reform.

"It is, therefore, salutary that government has facilitated the coming together of the relevant agencies in the justice reform sector towards complimenting one another in the process of justice delivery, reforms and the rule of law in the state."

Ahmed stated that if the stakeholders in the justice sector were not alive to their duties, the wheel of justice would be hobbled and made inefficient.

According to him, the Justice Sector Reform Team was expected to constantly serve as a watch dog to keep the agencies on their toes.

Ajibade said the government put the initiative in place not only to quicken the dispensation of justice but also to bring justice to the doorstep of all residents in Kwara State.