Rivers Judiciary Wins UN Award …On Implementation Of Crime Action Plan

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has adjudged the Rivers State judiciary as the best  in the implementation of UNODC action plan on drugs and crime control in the country.

Rivers judiciary led the list among seven pilot States in the implementation of UNODC action plan in Nigeria.

Presenting the award to the Rivers Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the State chairman of UNODC Implementation Committee, Justice Boma G.Diepiri scored Rivers judiciary high on quality of justice delivery, impartiality and fairness of the courts, access to justice, integrity and cooperation across the justice sector institution as well as public trust in the justice system.

According to him, the UNODC comprising the European Union (EU), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and the National Planning Commission (NPC) monitored and assessed the implementation of the action plans among the pilot states.

He listed Borno, Delta, Lagos, Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Kaduna, Katsina and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as other pilot states under the  UNODC assessment programme.

The chairman attributed the success of the state judiciary to the effective leadership of the state Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu as well as the cooperation of the judges and staff, adding that it takes a good government to produce the best chief judge.

Justice Diepiri, however, acknowledged other challenges confronting the state judiciary in the adjudication of justice and called on the  state Chief Judge not to relent on his oars in ensuring that the state judiciary remains the best in the country.

Also speaking, the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Dame Mina Benebo, while congratulating the state judiciary for emerging the best performing state judiciary in the implementation of the UNODC action plan noted that the award was not a surprise.

Represented by the state Chief Counsel, L.T Senewo, Dame Benebo averred that the award was well deserved considering the amount of work put in by the judiciary in the state within the past few years to overcome the various challenges confronting it.

In his own remarks, the President, Customary Court of Appeal, Rivers State, Justice Peter Agumagu extolled the leadership style of the Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu, adding that the award would spur the state judiciary to greater height.

Receiving the award on behalf of the state judiciary, Justice Iche Ndu commended the efforts of the stakeholders in justice delivery in the state, assuring that Rivers judiciary would continue to rank high among other state judiciaries in the country.

From Left: Director-general, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr Yomi Bolarinwa; Director-General, National Films and Video Censor Board, Mr Emeka Mba, and Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs Oluremi Oyo, at a special session of the National Council on Information and Communications in Abuja, yesterday