5TH NBA Criminal Justice Reform Conference Opens in Asaba
True to its high billing, and in line with its importance in the good ordering of society, the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association’s Conference on Criminal Justice Reform opened on a serious note in Asaba, the Delta State capital, with the early attendance of the Delta State Governor, His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi A. Okowa who was accompanied by other important government dignitaries.
Held at the impressive Asaba Convention Centre, the conference was graced by the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute and retired Chief Judge of Delta State, Hon. Justice Rosaline Bozimo (who represented the Chief Justice of Nigeria); the current Chief Judge of the state, Hon. Justice Marshall Umukoro; his counterparts in other jurisdictions, including that of the FCT, Hon. Justice Ishaq Bello (who is also the keynote speaker); the national president of the NBA, Abubakar B. Mahmud, SAN, among others.
In his welcome address, the chairman of the Asaba branch of the NBA, C. F. Ebu, Esq. praised the choice of Asaba, considering the priority the Delta State has placed in recent years on criminal justice reform. He also praised the work done by the Conference Committee led by Chief Arthur Obi Okafor, SAN as regards the long-term objectives of the conference.
In his own remarks of welcome, the NBA’s national president, A. B. Mahmud, SAN, who himself was a former reforms committee chairman at a similar conference also held in Asaba six years ago, listed some of the problems militating against the effective administration of criminal justice to including prison congestion, but expressed happiness that fourteen states have so far domesticated the recommendations enshrined in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) passed in line with resolutions reached at previous conferences, including the last one in Katsina. He also hailed the substantial support the NBA’s reform efforts have received from both local and international partners. Mahmud called for even further reforms which have the quality of being radical, proactive, dynamic and digitalized to reverse decades of anachronistic laws and judicial applications.
The chair of the criminal justice reforms committee, Arthur O. Okafor, SAN, expressed his committee’s appreciation for the unusual personal interest and involvement demonstrated by Gov. Okowa – and especially the secretary of the state government – in ensuring the smooth hosting of the Conference.
The assembled also heard goodwill messages from a plethora of distinguished personalities such as the President of the Nigerian Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki; the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice W. S. Onnoghen, GCON (as represented by the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, Hon. Justice Rosaline Bozimo); the attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and his Delta State counterpart; the Chief Judge of Delta, Hon. Justice Marshall Umukoro; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Y. T. Buratai; and the speaker of the Delta State house of assembly.
Conferees were thereafter treated to a documentary clip profiling the state known across the nation as ‘The Big Heart’ and in particular the immense developmental strides and accomplishments recorded so far by the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the face of the constraints occasioned by the country’s current economic downturn, and in line with the Governor’s determination to achieve ‘Prosperity for All.’
In his address to the delegates, Gov .Okowa noted with satisfaction that this Conference was the second in six years to be held in Asaba in– a situation he attributed to Delta State’s commitment to the Nigerian project, and its belief that no society can progress without a justice system anchored on fair play and equity. He described the Conference as a strong advocacy platform towards the achievement of a just society – no easy task, he added, considering the human tendency towards injustice and selfishness and the prevalence of primordial loyalties among our people. On its part, the governor said, the Delta State government has enacted far-reaching innovations in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), notably the recent creation of five new judicial divisions with the aim of enabling the speedily delivery – including a paradigm shift that emphasizes correction and reformation of prison inmates, rather than punishment and stigmatization. Gov. Okowa ended his address to the assembled delegates to take advantage of the exponential growth in technology to address, among others, the ‘trust deficit’ that currently exists between the servants of the law on one hand, and the general public on the other.
See photos below:
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