Delta Determined to Enhance Justice Delivery through Reforms, Says Bozimo

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaiah Bozimo, has said reforms initiated by the state Ministry of Justice are tailored towards engendering better justice delivery in the state.

Bozimo stated this while speaking on a state television programme: ‘Justice Hour’, which was monitored in Asaba, the state capital.

Due to certain observed gaps in the Administration of Criminal Justice and Civil Justice System, the ministry initiated a process involving inviting inputs from stakeholders that included “members of the legal profession, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations and non-governmental bodies” into the needed changes in justice delivery, he explained.

The state attorney-general, who noted that the inputs of the different stakeholders “will impact positively on the proposed reforms on Administration of Criminal Law,” added that the reforms were geared towards effective case management.

He stated that when the proposed reforms were finally implemented, they would accelerate justice delivery system in the state.

Nevertheless, Bozimo lauded the recent judgement of the Federal High Court Asaba in favour of the Delta State Government on the N150 billion bridging finance facility obtained by the state government, noting that “all legal requirements and documentations comprising the purpose and mode of repayment of the loan were properly stipulated by the state government before obtaining the facility.”

He also expressed appreciation for the level of cooperation and team spirit among staff of the state Ministry of Justice since he assumed office, stressing that they have continued to lighten his responsibilities and job schedule.

In a related development, the Chairman, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Nigeria, Chief Gbola Akinola (SAN), has Bozimo as a hard-working and focused public functionary.

Addressing the staff of the ministry during the one-day Arbitration Training Programme for staff of the ministry, Akinola noted that Bozimo’s flair for excellence was worthy of emulation.

He commended the attorney-general for bringing experts all the way from Lagos State for the training of staff of his ministry on arbitration, and advised the participants to take the training programme very seriously as they too will be arbitrators in no distant time.

Some of the staff, who spoke to journalists on their experience at the end of the training programme, applauded the attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice, and the Solicitor-General/Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, for initiating the programme.

U. A. Ibomor Esq. and Ifode Ereriene in separate interviews, expressed satisfaction with the ministry’s leadership for encouraging capacity building in the ministry while Ibomor, a staff at the AG’s Chambers, observed that “there has been a significant improvement on the service delivery of the Ministry,” especially since the assumption of duties in the Ministry of Justice by Bozimo.