Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has pledged to sign the bill for the financial autonomy of the judiciary into law next month and further expand the frontiers for the dispensation of justice in the state.
At the inaugural sitting of the Court of Appeal, Asaba Division, Governor Okowa recalled that the bill had been passed by the Delta State House of Assembly, stressing that he was ready to give his assent as soon as it is presented to him.
Shortly after the court complex was commissioned by the President of the Appeal Court, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa (CFR) Governor Okowa noted that the establishment of the court demonstrated his obligation to the rule of law and social justice.
In his words, “As to the issue of the financial autonomy of the judiciary in Delta State, we are proud to say that the House of Assembly has passed it and it is awaiting my assent… and I will be ready to sign that as soon as it is presented to me, hopefully, next month.”
Other measures enumerated by him to aid the dispensation of justice since his assumption of office in 2015 were the prompting of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which led to its passage into law in 2017, as well as the establishment of more court divisions in the state. “Justice is a cherished ideal of a modern, pluralistic society… indeed, a modern society owes its survival and prosperity to the existence of the rule of law and social justice, otherwise, life, as we know it, will be short, nasty and brutish.
“As an administration, therefore, we are continually seeking ways to ensure that justice is served in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner. Hence when the idea for the establishment of the Court of Appeal was made, we wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity,” he said.
