_Nosakhare Agbonigiarhuoyi_
The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has stated that a key basis of his administration’s success is its ability to sustain the Rule of Law.
He made this known on Wednesday October 4, 2023, during a courtesy call by the leadership of the Edo State Judiciary, led by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa.
In his remarks, the Governor commended the judiciary for its partnership with the state’s executive arm of government in matters relating to the law.
According to Obaseki, “I want to say again that the executive arm of government will forever be grateful to the judiciary, because one key basis of our success as a government is our ability to sustain the Rule of Law.
“When we came into government in 2016, this was not the case. It was not uncommon to find actors taking the law into their hands; non-state actors becoming law unto themselves. With the help of the judiciary, we have been able to establish law and order in Edo State; and I challenge anyone who can point out or accuse us of taking steps that are extra-judicial in our dealings.
“We have always subjected ourselves to the law, and that largely explains why we have the level of peace and harmony which exist in Edo today.”
The Governor further appreciated the judiciary for adopting technology in its processes, and also promised to work with the judiciary in taking advantage of the new constitutional amendment to build correctional facilities in the state.
“As you know, in the executive, we have now switched over. Edo State now runs a paperless government. We are enjoying the benefits of technology in the executive. We would like the same for you in the judiciary. So whatever support you need us to give you, we are more than ready to. We will be very glad to support and work with you to implement technology solutions that are suitable for the judiciary.
“We are also keen on working with you in taking advantage of the new constitutional amendment to build our own correctional facilities in Edo state to support the work you are doing”, Obaseki said.
The Governor added: “We also support the steps that you are taking to improve processes so that the common man can have speedy dispensation of justice. We are ready to support in any way we can, including financing. We are very concerned about the large number of awaiting-trial inmates in our correctional centres, and we would like our Chief Judge to do something different; to give assurance to Edo people that we can reduce the number of awaiting trial inmates by at least a third before Christmas.
“We are prepared to put in the resources to support the work of the judiciary and the police to achieve this goal. We would also like to work with you on the 30-year plan for the judiciary as part of our 30-year development plan, which we are going to be leaving behind for Edo state.”
On his part, the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, appreciated the Governor for fostering cooperation between the judiciary and the executive these past years, especially in the area of infrastructural development.
He noted that the judiciary is now leveraging technology to improve the timely dispensing of justice. According to Okungbowa, “We have kick started a lot of things in the judiciary, trying to improve the way we do things. We are trying to leverage technology. We are also trying to amend our rules and abridge the time for doing things so that the public can have more confidence in the judiciary and the perception of the judiciary will also change.”
Also present at the meeting were: Secretary to Edo State government, Osarodion Ogie Esq.; Edo State Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi; Commissioner for Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, Isoken Omo; Edo State Solicitor-General, Prof. Faith Osadolor; amongst others.
