Governor Alex Otti of Abia State commenced the construction of state-of-the-art court halls in all 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
Otti, while addressing the gathering in Umuene Autonomous Community, Isiala Ngwa South LGA, highlighted the construction of the model court halls as the fulfillment of an important promise made during the campaign.
The governor stated his administration’s dedication to creating a society that provides equal access to justice for all, regardless of their economic or social status.
“We are focused on building an effective ecosystem that delivers justice to the poor and wealthy without bias.
“This project is in line with our vision of working closely with the judiciary arm of government to create robust channels for the speedy dispensation of justice,” he said.
According to Otti, the justice centers in the state will have a functional appeal because the judiciary is a crucial part of the state’s civilization.
He said that the independence of the judiciary was a top priority during his administration because they believed in upholding the law.
In her speech, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Lilian Abai, praised the state government for improving the justice system in Abia by building 17 court halls in each LGA.
“I assure the governor that the judiciary would uphold the rule of law in working with other arms of government to make Abia a state we can be proud of,” she said.
According to Ikechukwu Uwannna, the Commissioner for Justice, the new court building is designed to meet the needs of everyone involved in the justice system.
Uwanna said: “The building will have a robing room for lawyers with convenience, a holding room for inmates from the correctional facility, there will also be rooms for ADR and pre-trial.
“There is proper accommodation for the judge; within the judges’ chambers, there is a robing room and decent facilities for the judge, also there is an arrangement for legal assistants.
“We have taken time to ensure that the court hall would be powered by renewable energy with adequate provision for natural light and ventilation.”
The President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Okey Nwamuo, said the project is a great thing.
“This is the first time the State Government will build courts in the Local Government Areas because, before this time, the courts in the LGAs were either built by the colonial masters or host communities.
“This initiative by the government is very commendable,” Nwamuo said.
The Chairman of the state House Committee on Judiciary and Public Petitions, Anderson Akaliro, emphasized the government’s focus on speedy justice.
Akaliro said the project would help rural areas get justice and asked the government to monitor it better in the remaining LGAs.
The Chairman of the NBA Isiala-Ngwa Branch, Eze Nwaegoro, gave a thumbs up to the government for giving the judiciary top priority.
According to Nwaegoro, this is a great step forward for Abia Judiciary.