CSLS To Partner RoLAC On National Minimum Standards For Effective Implementation Of ACJA/ACJL — CSLS President, Prof. Akinseye-George

Daily Metro News NG

President of Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, FNIALS has said the centre will partner with Rule of Law & Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II)/IIDEA on the enforcement of National Minimum Standards for effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in the FCT and the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws of the seven focal States.

Prof. Akinseye-George, SAN, made this known during a press briefing at the centre in Abuja. He appreciated the efforts of the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, FNIALS, LLD (hc) on implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act/ Administration of Criminal Justice Laws (ACJA/ACJLs) through the National Minimum Standards.

Below is the press statement unedited:

Media Briefing & Launch of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) and the Rule of Law & Anti-Corruption (RoLAC II)/IIDEA Project: Improving Criminal Justice Administration through the National Minimum Standards (NMS), Legislative Review and Capacity Building Held on 15th November, 2024 at the Meeting Point, Kaura, Abuja

Press Statement by
Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, FNIALS
President, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS)

I welcome all the gentlemen and ladies of the Press who are participating in this event.

Gratitude
I wish to begin by thanking you all for the support you have always extended to our organization. Through your reportage you have helped to amplify our activities to near and distant locations. We continue to get positive feedbacks from different observers and stakeholders of the Criminal Justice System. For this we are grateful.

Progress Report
We are pleased to note that the National Minimum Standards (NMS) Project which was started by our Centre in 2019 has now been adopted by the Federal Ministry of Justice as a national project for improving the quality of criminal justice delivery in the country.
We want to publicly express our gratitude to the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, FNIALS, LLD (hc), for his proactive efforts towards improving the system of administration in the country.

Fruitful collaboration

We are delighted to collaborate with the federal and state ministries of justice to bring about improved justice delivery.

We also thank the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs B.E. Jedy-Agba, OON, mni for designating one of her most able directors, Mrs Laeticia Ayoola-Daniels, of the Department of Administration Criminal Justice and Reform (ACJRD) to work with our Centre to advance the goals of the National Minimum Standards Project. Only, yesterday, I was at the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Justice able to address the Meeting of the body of Attorneys-General on the subject of the National Minimum Standards.

Purpose of this Media Briefing

The main purpose of this Media Briefing is to announce that our Centre is entering into a partnership with the RoLAC/International Idea to deepen the National Minimum Standards Project for the effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in the FCT and the Administration of Criminal Justice Laws of the seven focal States of RoLAC. These states are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra Kano, Lagos Plateau, and Edo.

The partnership means that we will, with funding from RoLAC/IIDEA disseminate the National Minimum Standards in the FCT, and the focal states; build capacity of the officials and other stakeholders; recommend legislative reform and propose amendments to bring the ACJA/ACJLs into conformity with the National Minimum Standards.
The partnership with RoLAC will build on the foundations of our existing work on the National Minimum Standards for the effective implementation of the AJA/ACJLs, which was supported largely by the MacArthur Foundation.
We thank the management of RoLAC for taking note of the humble contributions of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) and selecting us for this partnership.

Analysis of the Problem we want to solve:

The primary problem of the Nigerian system of criminal justice remains the systemic weakness which manifests in inefficiency, poor record keeping, weak coordination and low level of accountability. These result is delayed trials, overcrowded correctional centres and widespread denial of access to justice experienced by indigents and other vulnerable persons.
Nearly a Decade of implementing the ACJA 2015 at the federal level, the criminal justice system appears not only to have reached a plateau but also to be relapsing.
The National Justice Summit 2024 has identified the persistent challenge of delay and inefficiency, poor record keeping, non-adherence to statutory timelines and other problems.
In the National Technical Review and Evaluation conducted by the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) in 2023, it was found that more than two thirds of the States performed poorly in indices of early engagement between investigators and prosecutors; effective case management at pretrial and trial stages; issuance and reliance of supplementary instruments; record keeping, use of technology, compliance with statutory time frames, existence of effective coordination mechanism and other indices.
The Stakeholders Summit jointly convened by the FMOJ, CSLS and RoLAC on the implementation of the ACJA and ACJLs of States identified the foregoing problems and recommended the adoption of National Minimum Standards for the effective implementation of the laws and allied instruments, legislative reform and continuous capacity building at the federal and state levels.
Furthermore, at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual National Conference of 2023, it was resolved that efforts should be focused on improving implementation of the ACJA with particular emphasis on pre-trial case management aimed at addressing the problem of delay in the system.
Increase in the remuneration of Judicial Officers- what next?

We commend the Federal Government for improving the remuneration of Judicial officers and for extending the retirement age of high court judges. However, these improvements must be matched with closer monitoring and evaluation of the work of judges. We urge the oversight body of the judiciary, the National Judicial Council (NJC) to issue new guidelines for assessing the productivity of judicial officers. Nigerians deserve improvements in the speed and quality of justice delivery.

Attention must also be given to the remuneration and working conditions of Magistrates and other lower court judges who handle the great majority of criminal cases.

It is equally important to provide greater incentives and oversight for investigators, prosecutors and the support staff of the courts on whom the work of the courts actually depend.

Through our partnership with RoLAC, and support from MacArthur Foundation, our Centre is poised to provide greater assistance for the operatives in the justice sector.

In closing, let me thank our partners of the media or the Fourth Estate of the Realm and solicit your full support and cooperation.
Together we can transform the criminal justice system, strengthen the rule of law and reduce corruption. This is the ultimate objective of the National Minimum Standards Project.

Thank you for your attention.