By:Douglas Ogbankwa Esq.@ douglasogbankwa@gmail.com
The Honourable, the Chief Judge of Edo State, My Lord, the Hon. Justice Joe Itsabaga Acha, CJ, FICMC, is a Jurist of few words, but a lot of action. Since My Lord’s ascension to the realms of office in the Edo State Judiciary, My Lord has churned out one policy, programme or project or the other that has strengthened the institutional framework of Edo State Judiciary.
Some of such interventions include:
1. Improved welfare package for staff of the Edo State Judiciary.
2. My Lord has ensured that staff of the Judiciary in Benin metropolitan get free transport to and from work every day.
3. My Lord has ensured that staff of the Edo State Judiciary get free bags of rice, protein and other condiments during festivities.
4. Training and retraining of staff: My Lord has galvanised the building of human capital development by training both Judges/other judicial officers and Registrars, Bailiffs and Administrative Staff, both internally and externally.
5. Using of merit in promotion exercise: My Lord has ensured that the Public Service Rules is followed to the letter in appointment and promotion exercises, thereby ensuring that only merit is used in the exercise.
6. The building and renovation of Courts: Under the superintendent of My Noble Lord, Courts have been renovated across the state. Worthy of mention is the Magistrate Court at Evbouriaria, Sapele Road, Benin City, which is being renovated for the very first time. The building of two brand new Courts in Idogbo, Idogbo Magistrate Court 1 & Idogbo Magistrate Court 2, Ikpoba Okha Local Government of Edo State and others.
7. The building of a new ICT Centre by the Foyer/Cash Room of the High Court: My Lord has given verve to the building of a new ICT Centre by the Foyer/Cash Room of the High Court, that promises to be one stop centre for all ICT related matters in the High Court.
9. The renovation of the Cash Room/Filing Centres, fully kitted with air-conditioners and new furniture.
10. The employment of young and versatile staff to meet up with the ever changing world, to make the Edo State Judiciary to be able to function in the IT and modern age that we are in.
11. Using Information Technology to do Court Business, as My Lord got the DCR, ICT to issue the phone numbers of all Registrars/Bailiffs in Edo State to lawyers and the general public, to ease the means of during Court Business in Edo State.
11. My Lord pioneered in the whole of the South South Zone of Nigeria the practice of the Registrar of Court sending text messages to lawyers or litigants, whenever any of the Courts in Edo State is not sitting. This was done through a Circular issued by the DCR Litigation of the High Court.
12. Liberalisation of Divorce Matters to all of the High Courts to decongest the Family Courts and make the determination of divorce matters with High Court Jurisdiction, expeditious.
13. Building of New Magistrate Court Block of Courts, inside the Magistrate Court Building, Sapele Road, fully furnished with an atmosphere for Courts.
14. Assisting the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Benin to relocate to the Sapele Road/GRA Area there building a Court Colony in Edo State.
15. Organisation of the Edo State Judiciary/NBA Festival of Nine Lessons and Carol, thereby bringing about a synergy between the Bar and the Bench.
16. Renovations of some Court outside the headquarters and in rural Jurisdictions to provide access to justice for rural people.
17. Increasing the revenue generation base of the Edo State Judiciary, with the slight increase in filing fees that has jacked the IGR generated by the Edo State Judiciary.
18. Commencing and continuing the appointment process of eight (8) Judges into the Edo State Judiciary, which has reached the interview stage at the National Judicial Council (NJC), Abuja.
There are more and more. The Tenure of My Lord, the Honourable, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Hon. Justice Joe Itsabaga Acha, CJ, FICMC, has been a watershed, that has set the stage for the Edo State Judiciary to be in another level.
The tenure also gives verve to the use of technology to do court business. The Circular that Registrars of Court should send text messages to lawyers or litigants, when the Courts are not sitting can be harnessed by providing little funding for that purpose. This will simplify considerably the ease of doing Court Business in Edo State. Also of commendation is the official release phone numbers of all court registrars to open access to the court system for the general public. Publicity is the surest way to ensure justice in our society.
My Lord, the Hon. Justice Joe Itsabaga Acha, CJ, FICMC, just like Julius Caesar in the William Shakespeare epic with the same nomenclature, as it concerns the Judiciary, came saw and conquered. My Lord has dedicated his adult life to service to the good people of Edo State, first as an active Bar Man, at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin Branch, before joining the golden set of Judges, who were appointed in the administration of Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion as Governor. We wish My Noble Lord a happy retirement to his lovely and loving family. There are still greater years ahead, My Lord!
About the Author:
Douglas Ogbankwa Esq., @ douglasogbankwa@gmail.com, lawyer, writer and policy analyst is the Convener of the Vanguard for the Independence of the Judiciary (V4IJ).
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