By Blessing Odega
The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), on Wednesday in Jos, inaugurated a Legal Aid Coordination Committee aimed at strengthening the provision of free legal services to indigent citizens.
The Director-General (D-G), of LACON, Aliyu Abubakar, emphasised the council’s commitment to ensuring access to justice for all Nigerians, particularly the indigents, in line with its mandate, regardless of their economic status.
“The major mandate of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is to provide free legal assistance and representation, Legal advice and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to indigent Nigerians who are in conflict with the law, to enhance access to Justice in Nigeria,” Abubakar said.
He noted that legal aid was an essential element of a fair, humane, and efficient criminal justice system that was based on the rule of law.
The D-G explained that the committee”s mandate, apart from the seamless provision of legal representation to indigent persons, would be to develop and implement annual action plans that would increase the number of citizens who would access free legal aid in the state.
He said the committee was also expected to review and report quarterly, the progress on the implementations of its annual action plans; advice on the quality and approach to legal aid service delivery, including the standardisation of legal aid service delivery.
Abubakar said the committee would also help reduce the duplication of legal aid provision and ensure effective coordination of stakeholders, amongst others.
He said the committee would be chaired by the Attorney General of the state, who is also the Commissioner for Justice.
The D-G, noted that the committee also comprised of various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Justice, the Police, the Nigerian Bar Association, FIDA, National Human Rights Commission, Traditional institutions, Civil Society Organisations and relevant government agencies, who would address challenges hindering the delivery of pro bono legal assistance.
He said that the establishment of the committee of legal aid service providers in Jos was sponsored by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (RoLAC) II, a European Union funded programme.
The newly inaugurated Chairperson of the Legal Aid Coordination Committee in Plateau, Philemon Dafi, who is Plateau’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, commended the LACON’s initiative, describing it as a timely intervention to support vulnerable and indigent persons in accessing justice.
Dafi urged all members of the newly inaugurated committee to proactively discharge their duties to achieve the mandate of its establishment.
He further appealed to RoLAC to sustain sponsorship of the committee.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the other stakeholders in their goodwill messages pledged their unflinching support to ensure that the committee achieved its goal. NAN
