Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, says his administration is planning to build a housing estate for retired judges in the State.
Abiodun stated this on Friday, when he received the delegation of the Nigeria Bar Association, led by its President, Olumide Akpata, in his office at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
He disclosed that a law to that effect would be worked on and forwarded to the State House of Assembly for consideration.
According to the governor, the law would, among other things, ensure that the judges and their offsprings continued to live in the houses allocated to them even after their retirement.
He added that judges in the State High Courts, Appellate Courts as well as the Appeal and the Supreme Courts would benefit from the arrangement.
“We are doing everything to ensure that we give the judiciary as much support as possible.
“We particularly passed at the Executive Council, a memo that seeks to ensure that we provide accommodation for all our judges from the State High Court to all the Appellate Courts, Appeal Court and the Supreme Court.
“The provision is that we give them accommodation while they are sitting and we pay their rentals for their lifetime.
And I said to myself what happens after they are gone? So, it means that their offsprings are left without shelter or people who have dedicated their lives to doing what they know best and most of them, when they retire, are not able to do anything else.
“Therefore, we decided to pass a law that stipulates that the Ogun State government will provide accommodation that they own, not just paying their rent, it becomes theirs.
He commended the National Judicial Council for the role it played in ensuring that punitive measures were taken against judges that are fond of issuing counter injunctions and orders.
He added that such steps would definitely make the administration of justice smoother.
Abiodun, who also noted that the relationship between the executive arm of government and the judiciary was a good one, assured that his administration would continue to give the judiciary all the needed support to perform its duties.
While intimating the NBA leadership of his administration’s efforts at enhancing quick justice delivery, Abiodun said case management system, duty solicitor scheme, mobile forensic laboratory and the virtual court process had been put in place.
He intimated on the Ogun Public Interest Law Partnership, which would ensure that everyone has a lawyer that can represent him or her in the court of law.
In his remarks, President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, disclosed that the body was meeting in the State, to investigate issues bordering on conflicting court orders, and the role played by lawyers and judges in the process.
He said, while the National Judicial Council had sanctioned those judges found culpable, the Nigeria Bar Association would also refer some of its members found wanting to its disciplinary committee to determine if they should be sanctioned for abusing court process.
Akpata, however, noted that the council supported all the steps taken, regarding the invasion of the home of Justice Odili, as well as the need to give support to the chief investigator in the case.
He commended Gov Abiodun for what he called his pragmatic and proactive approach to governance.
