By Emma Okereh
Nigerian lawyers have been urged to go from data and swing into action in order to make people-centered justice happen in the country.
This formed the fulcrum of the lecture delivered by the country representative of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HIIL), Ijeoma Nwafor in Abuja on Wednesday.
Attended by over one thousand law school students at the auditorium of the Law School in Bwari, Abuja, the country rep who spoke at the forum on the theme ‘Making People Centred Justice Happen in Nigeria’, stressed on the need for lawyers in Nigeria to embrace the trend as a way of serving justice to a good number of the citizenry who are encumbered by the stress and other rigorous factors that bring a clog in the formal justice delivery.
She urged the law school students to prepare their minds for this trend as about 85 percent of the population is waiting for them. She stated that only about 8 percent care to go the whole hog in search of justice while about 15 percent may settle with affidavits kind of things
Ijeoma Nwafor also informed that a huge market exists with the 85 percent which serves as both economic empowerment as well as bringing justice to the door steps of the rural poor.
Furthermore, she exposed the law school students to data collection by HIIL during the 2018 national justice needs survey clarifying that the data has given rise to a number of initials by home-grown innovations dressing every day pressing justice needs of a Nigeria.
HIIL, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), based at the Hague, stated that the goal of the forum is to raise awareness of law school students on the need for innovative thinking and actions in a bid to increase access to justice. Assing that’ This would energise innovative job opportunities while making justice more accessible to Nigerians”.
While looking at the new kind of leadership and working methods needed to make justice more people centered, she urged them to take it seriously as there are few spaces in the formal judicial sector to serve the huge population.
She also explained that the system is working well in the countries that have started practicing it. She identified land, business, family, housing, money, neighbors, children as prevalent just as she disclosed that the instinct uses five identified pillars in its operations.
Speaking with a particular Malachi Uzendu on the take-aways from the forum, hr said that the idea behind HIIL addressing the law school students was instructive. He said it sharpens their skills and broadens their perspective as there are many gaps to fill. Asked to differentiate between Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism and the new thinking, Uzendu who is a journalist and a member of the law school student that was part of the forum said ”They are looking at the entire process from the way of the procedural aspect of law but ADR is a different kettle of fish where you don’t resort to legal practice. The difference is that they are looking at ways of using some of the legal practice but without bringing in those encumbrances that deter people from seeking justice through the legal process.” He said.
