Victor EzejaVice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has departed Abuja today for Arusha, Tanzania to attend the formal opening session of the 2022 Judicial Year of the African Court for Human and Peoples’ Rights.
According to a statement issued on Sunday morning by Laolu Akande Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo has been designated as the Guest Speaker at this inaugural event to be attended by leaders from across the continent and beyond. The VP will speak on the theme: “The African Court and the Africa we want.”
The overall objective of the ceremony, according to the Court, is to provide a forum for interaction with Member States, key judicial authorities, inter-governmental, semi-governmental and non-state actors; exchange of ideas; and reflection on the work of the Court for the year.
Eventually, the event will expectedly spur an “enhanced understanding by stakeholders on the work of the Court,” and an increased interaction with key judicial authorities on the continent and key stakeholders, a statement by the Court indicated.
Last year, at its 15th Anniversary, the court resolved that “as a means of enhancing its visibility and engaging as many stakeholders as possible, it will convene a solemn ceremony at the commencement of the first of its four sessions of each year to mark the official opening of the judicial year.”
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights was established pursuant to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, adopted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 9th June 1998.
The Protocol came into force on the 25th of January 2004. The Court became operational in 2006, and officially started working in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and later moved to its current seat in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Mission of the Court is to enhance the protective mandate of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights by strengthening the human rights protection system in Africa and ensuring respect for and compliance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as other international human rights instruments, through judicial decisions.
The Court is made up of justices drawn from the continent by election and is currently led by Lady Justice Imani Daud Aboud, as its President. She is from Tanzania.
Others include Justice Blaise Tchikaya (Vice President) – Republic of Congo; Justice Ben Kioko – Kenya; Justice Rafaâ Ben Achour – Tunisia; Lady Justice Ntyam Ondo Mengue – Cameroon; Lady Justice Marie Thérèse Mukamulisa – Rwanda; Lady Justice Tujilane Rose Chizumila – Malawi; Lady Justice Bensaoula Chafika – Algeria; Lady Justice Stella Isibhakhomen Anukam -Nigeria; Justice Dumisa Ntsebeza – South Africa; and Justice Sacko Modibo – Mali.
While in Tanzania, the Vice President will also hold bilateral talks with his counterpart, Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango.
The Vice President is expected back in Abuja on Tuesday, 1st March, 2022.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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