Izuchukwu Okosi
By Izuchukwu Okosi
United States ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard on Tuesday witnessed the launch of an electronic court scheduling and case management system by the Ogun State government and stated that the initiative will speed up the process of administering justice, Prime Business Africa reports.
Leonard who in the week has graced key functions in the country was guest of the Ogun state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun for the launch which so had in attendance the Chief Judge of Ogun state, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, senior judicial officers, state legislators, law enforcement officers, civil society representatives and members of the Nigeria Bar Association.
Delivering a remark at the launch, Ambassador Leonard spoke on the dividends of having such an electronic system in the dispensation of justice.
“The new case management system was developed as a solution to promote efficiency in the allocation of time and resources to court cases.
“We have high hopes that the electronic court scheduling and case management system will help speed up the pace of criminal justice in Ogun State,” Ambassador Leonard enthused.
The Corrections Information Management System is deployed by the Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Correctional Services to record and monitor the length of time pre-trial suspects are kept in custody.
This innovation became imperative as most inmates have had the ignominy of being locked up without fair hearing.
Similarly, the Court Attendance Endorsement Form enables the correctional facilities and courts in Ogun State to track court attendance and case hearings for persons in custody.
“The introduction of Corrections Information Management System and the Court Attendance Endorsement Form serve the key goals to decongest prisons, provide the necessary infrastructure to speed up the pace of criminal adjudication, and to ensure the creation of data that will document any delays,” Ambassador Leonard stressed.
Ogun State Governor Abiodun lauded the U.S. government for the partnership that culminated in the introduction of the electronic court scheduling and case management system for the state judiciary describing it as a “trailblazing effort” in the administration of justice in the state.
Chief Judge Dipeolu in his speech urged judges, magistrates and other judicial officers in the state to embrace the new electronic system. “Digitization will aid quick dispensation of justice and make our job as judges easier with the ripple effect of attracting investors to the state,” Chief Judge Dipeolu added.
Through the support of the U.S. Mission’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the Ogun State Government initiated a collaboration with a local law firm, Olaniwun Ajayi Legal Practitioners, to develop a manual detailing this new system.
The release signed by the Information Specialist
Public Affairs Section (PAS) U.S. Consulate General, Temitayo Famutimi informed that the U.S. Mission’s initial support, Olaniwun Ajayi Legal Practitioners and Ogun State authorities expanded on the project and digitized the process into a multi-user electronic system.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
