14 Nigeria Justice Reforms You Should Know…..

      Since the beginning of President Jonathan Goodluck's administration in 2010, the justice sector reform has achieved the following key results:

1 - Developed a well-articulated Justices Sector Reform Action Plan 2011-2015 by the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee (FJSRCC).

2 - Developed the National Policy on Prosecution to ensure efficient trial of criminal cases in the country. It provides a guideline to which all prosecutors and prosecuting agencies will be subjected. This has enhanced the efficiency, professionalism, and ethical standards of prosecutors in the conduct of their duties, in line with best practices.

3 - Developed of a witness protection policy: a Witness Protection Bill was submitted to Honourable Attorney General of the Federation (HAGF)

4 - Developed Family Court Rules for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Family Court.

5 - Developed the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill 2012 to address some of the challenges faced in the administration of criminal justice in the country.

6 - Resuscitated the network of reform teams meetings by the FJSRCC.

7 - Reformed the Nigeria police through contributions to the various police reform 
efforts.

8 - Worked with Oracle to drive the Justice Case Tracking and Management System, through an ICT-enabled solution to the operations of the Ministry for effective service delivery.

9 - Created new standing orders for the administration of prisons in Nigeria: having been made over 50 years ago, in 1961, the old standing order needed to be reviewed and brought into conformity with current realities and international best practices. These include, for instance, improvements in the rights of inmates, administration of prisons, reducing bureaucracy, and improving efficiency and access to medical care in prison custody.

10 - Developed and adopted the Family Court Rules for the execution of the Chief Judge of the FCT high court in line with the Child Right Act No. 24 LFN, 2003. The Family Court Rules will go a long way in assisting States with effective implementation of the Childs Right Law.

11 - Conducted a base-line study on the causes of delay in criminal trial with the FCT as a case study.

12 - The FJSCC are working to unify the criminal and penal codes and are moving towards a final draft.

13 - Developed the Access to Justice Bill, which, among others things, will help reduce delays in prosecution, and substantially reduce waiting time in prisons. The bill has been sent to the National Assembly.

14- Amended the National Human Rights Commission Act in 2010, granted the commission operational and financial independence and enhanced its investigative and enforcement powers.