Gov Tasks Legal Aid Council On Functions

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has challenged the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACN) to intensify efforts at creating more awareness of its responsibility and activities.

Governor Dickson who made the call when he received the Director-General of the Council, Mrs. Joy Bob-Manuel in Government House, Yenagoa, expressed  concern over the lack of  awareness of its activities by the people.

He advised the council to make more of Nigerians especially those in the rural areas get adequate knowledge of the functions to the council.

He pledged his administration’s determination to partner with the organisation as he is familiar with their work as a body.

The Governor, disclosed that there are budgetary provisions to support the council in the state’s 2012 Budget, called on them to liaise with government through the office of the Special Adviser on Legal matters.

He equally charged them to cover a lot of other areas including provision of services to distressed spouses, conflict resolution among others as part of its duties.

On the prison decongestion programme recently approved for the council to handle, Hon Dickson encouraged the council to build more capacity and also to reach out to those in need, for which the council was set up.

In her remarks, the Director-General of the Legal AID Council of Nigeria, Mrs. Joy Bob-Manuel disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan had signed into law a new Act in 2011 which empowers the council to have more jurisdiction on criminal aspects including cases on armed robbery.

She noted that recently the senate adopted a recommendation to pass decongestion of prison matters to the council to handle, stressing that the council will not disappoint those who worked hard to support its efforts.

Explaining that the acts also allow state governments to render support to its activities, Mrs. Bob-Manuel solicited the support of the State Government on areas of accommodation, project vehicles as well as restore the state grants previously approved for the council.