The Federal Government has again restated over the weekend its commitment to graft fights and the rule of law in the country.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN noted that corruption and other social vices have hindered the development of the country.
Malami made this known during the opening ceremony for the Federal Ministry of Justice Top Management retreat in Kano over the weekend.
The retreat with the theme; “Enhancing Systems and Structures in the Federal Ministry of Justice for effective Justice Sector Service Delivery” was attended by top management staff of the ministry, Attorney Generals of Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa State, UNODC, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) and other Stakeholders
Malami stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will not relent in his efforts to free the country from corrupt practices in line with the rule of law,” he said.
The retreat according to the AGF provides opportunity for review and self-assessment of the ministry’s achievements so far, identifying the challenges and areas requiring revitalization, in order to come up with innovative ideas to enhance effective service delivery.
“Legal experts and management professionals will share their wealth of knowledge, experience and keep us abreast with contemporary issues that could support us in actualizing this mandate in this retreat.
“The Ministry of Justice is a legacy Ministry that succeeded the Colonial Legal Department, thereby, making it one of the oldest Ministries in Nigeria that came into existence at independence in 1960,″ Malami said.
While assuring that, the choice of Kano for the retreat was not accidental, he noted that, “Kano has consolidated the spirit of the Retreat. We are not disappointed with our choice of Kano for the Retreat.”
The Minister stated further that his ministry was lucky to have saved the Country from total Economic Collapse which would have been brought about if P&ID had succeeded in enforcing an arbitral award of over US$10billion USD on us.
The ministry Malami added had also ensured the restoration of the nation to the path of growth and development through the settlement of the multi-billion-dollar adverse claims on Ajaokuta Steel Plant.
“Our asset recovery drive has secured the sum of US$322million which enabled the Federal Government to embark on empowerment programs which have taken over 100 million persons out of poverty as part of the national social investment programs,” he said.
Malami said the sum of US$311million recovered funds was deployed into critical infrastructural projects such as the Abuja-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan Express Ways as well as the Second Niger Bridge.
Delivering his speech, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said as part of efforts to improve justice service delivery through alternative dispute resolution, the state enacted the Kano State Justice Reform Law 2013 and has established a Committee on the Administration of Justice.
