Otti flags off construction of model court buildings in Abia

Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, has flagged off the construction of model court buildings across the 17 local council areas of the state.

While performing the foundation laying ceremony at the Umuene Magistrate’s Court, Isialangwa South LGA, Otti said that the modern court buildings would be replicated across the remaining 16 local councils in the state.

He noted that the projects reiterate his commitment to building a community with access to justice, while also assuring that he would work with the judiciary and other stakeholders to build an ecosystem where justice would be the order of the day.

He stated that the projects are in fulfilment of his campaign promise to institute an effective judicial system that would respond to the 21st century demands of judicial service delivery.

“What we have gathered to witness is not just about the erection of new blocks of court rooms from where those who work in the temple of justice can perform their day to day activities. We have come to fulfill a major campaign promise that under our watch, centres of justice administration in the state shall have a more functional appeal.

“This project is in line with our vision of working closely with the judicial arm of the government to create robust channels for the speedy dispensation of justice.

“This initiative is anchored on the common understanding that access to justice is an irreducible minimum in a democracy,” Otti stated.

He further assured that the project would be delivered as scheduled, warning that he would not accept short falls from the designed work, while maintaining that mechanisms had been put in place to monitor the work.

Otti charged the host community to ensure that the court halls and all the facilities to be provided would not be vandalised.

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He thanked Lilian Abai, chief judge of the state, for her zeal and commitment to transparency and in repositioning the judicial system of the state.

“This court hall that we are erecting here is first and foremost the property of the community and they must do everything possible to ensure that the halls are not vandalized,” he stated.

The chief judge described the flagging off of the new court halls by the governor as unprecedented in the state judiciary, noting that it would enhance productivity among judicial officers.

Abai commended Governor Otti for his commitment towards justice delivery in the state and assured that the judiciary would uphold the Rule of Law.

Anderson Akaliro, chairman, House Committee on Judiciary and Public Complaints, Abia State House of Assembly and member, representing Umuahia North constituency, in his speech, lauded the efforts of the governor and said that it would improve service delivery of the judiciary.

Ikechukwu Uwanna, attorney general and Commissioner for Justice, while speaking, recalled the status of the court halls in the state and its neglect for decades and said that the project was a testament of the governor’s commitment to efficient justice delivery.

He said that when completed, the court halls would have a lobby room for lawyers and a room for inmates from the correctional facilities with provision for judges or magistrates as well as legal assistants, natural light, ventilation, solar energy, among others.

Elelenta Nwambuisi Elele, mayor of Isialangwa South, in his remarks, noted that the court was nothing to write home about before the intervention of the governor.

He appreciated the governor for the project, adding that the need to provide conducive environment for magistrates and judges could not be over emphasised.

Eze Nwaegoro, chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Isialangwa branch, and Charles Onuchukwu, his Aba branch counterpart, in their speeches described the event as an epoch one.

They said that the feat was not only a step in the right direction but would make the members of the NBA proud in the state and commended the governor for the project.