20th August, 2010
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Union (EU), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and the National Planning Commission (NPC) have visited Enugu State, South-East Nigeria, to assess the progress made in the implementation of the Enugu State Action Plan on Justice Sector Reform 2007-2010.
As one of the 10 States benefiting from the 25 Million Euro project funded by the European Union in support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Judiciary, the Enugu State Judiciary developed an action plan in collaboration with other stakeholders and commenced its implementation with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The other state judiciaries benefiting from the project are Anambra, Benue, Borno, Delta, Kaduna, Katsina, Lagos and Rivers State as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
The action plan which was adopted by the Enugu State Judiciary Integrity Meeting focuses on enhancing access to justice, improving timeliness and quality of justice delivery, strengthening the integrity, accountability, transparency, independence and impartiality of the court system and coordination across the justice sector.
During the mission, the monitoring team had discussions with the implementation committee and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Enugu State, Mr. Nduka Ikeyi.
While discussing with the team, UNODC’s National Project Officer, Ms. Ugonna Ezekwem noted that the judiciary had made great advancements in implementing the action plan under the leadership of Honourable Justice I. A. Umezulike, OFR, the Chief Judge of Enugu State.
She called upon the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive to make provisions for and support the development and implementation of a new action plan in 2011.
She suggested that action planning for justice sector reform should be a permanent feature of the state’s annual budget and serve as a model for other public sector agencies both within and beyond Enugu State.
During the courtesy visit to the Attorney General of Enugu State, Mr. Ikeyi thanked the team for the visit and stated that he is looking forward to receiving more support from the EU and UNODC particularly in the areas of training and capacity building for the Ministry of Justice.