By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko, Ibadan
The Attorney-General and Lagos State Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) on Wednesday stressed the need for the country to end dichotomy in jurisdictions of the state High Courts, Federal and National Industrial Courts.
This, he said, would help expand the frontiers of justice in Nigeria.
Onigbanjo made the remark in Ibadan at the opening of the 2022 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch, with the theme ‘Expanding The Frontiers’.
Onigbanjo said the scope of Jurisdiction of the State High Court as provided in the 1979 Constitution should be restored.
“The State High Court should enjoy unlimited jurisdiction except those jurisdictions conferred on the Federal High Court.
“The jurisdiction of the Federal High Court as provided in Section 230 of the 1979 Constitution should be restored too.
“The jurisdiction as presently conferred on the Federal High Court by Section 251 of the Constitution is too expansive and all-embracing.
“A drastic reduction in the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court will promote quick dispensation of justice and indeed expand the frontiers of justice in Nigeria.
“In the same vein, the jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court should be limited to matters of collective labour relations, collective bargaining and resolution of trade disputes,” he said.
The SAN also remarked that appointment, remuneration and discipline of judges of the state high court should be exclusively the responsibility of each state.
According to him, the functions conferred on the National Judicial Council with respect to state high court Judges should be part of the judicial powers of the states which should be carried out by the State Judicial Service Commission.
For justice to work efficiently, Onigbanjo said the responsibility lied on the bar and the bench.
“This is because we are all equal partners in the process of ensuring that justice is served in a manner that will foster growth and development,” he said.
The Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, said to expand the frontiers, judicial officers must take their career very seriously.
Abimbola, represented by Justice Iyabo Yerima of the State’s High Court, called on lawyers to improve the standard of the bar and make it a standard as it used to be in the past.
“To expand the frontiers, we have to change the narrative that lawyers are liars by working diligently and showing the world that we are indeed the learned ones,” he said.
Also, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Akin Olujinmi, (SAN), urged the NBA members to always support and be part of the association’s activities so as to improve.
Olujinmi congratulated the Ibadan NBA first female Chairman in the last 58 years, Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi, and the entire members on the occasion of another law week.
He remarked that the female Chairman emerging after many decades in Ibadan was also one of the ways of expanding the frontiers.
The first female SAN in Nigeria, Mrs Folake Solanke, urged the bar to engage in self analysis and ensure that the members did not engage in any form of corruption.
“Before you can expand the frontiers, you must know where you are coming from and each of us must be corruption free,” she said.
Earlier, Aladeniyi said the event was an annual one where the association sought to promote the rule of law by discussing topical issues to advance the course of humanity.
According to her, expanding the frontiers literally means covering more grounds, reaching out from within and beyond their comfort zone.
“As lawyers, we should be mindful that knowledge of the law is no longer enough to pursue a fulfilling and successful legal practice in Nigeria.
“Expanding the frontiers is to bring to the fore, our quest to equip ourselves and offer desired benefits to our society,” she said.
Also, the Chairman of the Law Week Planing Committee, Mr Akeem Agbaje, Esq, said an example of the expansion beyond the primitive frontiers was the information technology, how it imported into the legal system.
“Frontiers are also being expanded in the areas of our day to day lives that are novel and they at times need legal standpoints in respect of any issue that may arise,” he said.
(NAN)
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