The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has flagged off the construction of a new Magistrate Court complex in the Jabi district of Abuja.
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Speaking at the flag-off ceremony on Tuesday, the Minister emphasised that the project was part of the FCT Administration’s renewed commitment to enhancing the justice sector and ensuring the swift dispensation of justice, which he said aligns with the President’s vision for the judiciary.
He described the current challenges faced by judicial officers, including inadequate office spaces and poor living conditions, as embarrassing, adding that it was difficult to achieve quick dispensation of justice without the provision of an enabling environment for the judiciary.
The Minister said, “Mr President has always believed that you cannot talk about quick dispensation of justice when you don’t provide the enabling environment. Just like when he came to Port Harcourt in 2023, before his inauguration at that time he was president elect, he came and inaugurated the complexes we built and he said, ‘you can’t talk about fighting corruption where you don’t provide the enabling environment for the judges, magistrates, when they don’t provide welfare for them, it will be very difficult’.
“I have been going around, and sometimes when you see where our judges and magistrates sit, it’s very, very embarrassing. And then you still want them to deliver justice quickly, as you want them.
“You need to provide enabling environments, good offices for them to be able to do that. Sometimes you go and you see where justices are living as tenants, and then sometimes when they’re not able to pay on time they are at the mercy of the landlord, the landlord can use their car and block the gate, and say look, you have not paid us, go away. That can be embarrassing. Even where they are living, you don’t even know where criminals are”.
He reiterated the FCTA’s ambitious plan to address the housing deficit for judicial officers, stating that 20 units of four-bedroom duplexes were currently under construction and would be handed over to the FCT High Court in October this year, while another 30 duplexes would also be provided for them by June next year.
“Let me assure you that before the end of the first tenure of the President, we would have solved 80% of your accommodation problems in terms of housing”, the Minister assured.
Speaking further, Barr. Wike said, “What we are doing today it is not just here, if you are going to the villa where you have the fire service station, there’s another project ongoing there, and then in Garki. That will accommodate a lot of our Magistrates so that they will be able to carry out their jobs the way they should,” Wike disclosed.
Addressing criticisms regarding the FCT’s focus on public buildings, the FCT Minister clarified that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) is primarily responsible for such projects and urged residents to support the government rather than criticise.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Judge of the FCT Federal High Court, Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, expressed profound gratitude over what he described as the FCT Minister’s unprecedented interventions and support for the judiciary.
Represented by Justice Sylvanus Origi, Justice Yusuf enumerated several projects initiated under the Minister’s leadership, including, the design and construction of Magistrate Court complexes in Asokoro and Garki, the construction of ten staff quarters for the Nigerian Law School, Abuja campus, the provision of 20 residential housing units for FCT High Court judges on an owner-occupier basis as well as the replacement of lifts at the High Court Complex, Maitama, and thanked the Minister for his consistent support.
“Your Excellency, I confirm to you, sir, that your interventions and support to the FCT Judiciary as honourable Minister of FCT are unprecedented”, Justice Yusuf stated, describing the new Jabi complex as a symbol of the Minister’s commitment to fostering professionalism and providing an environment that supports a quick and effective justice system.
He also highlighted the upcoming automation of the FCT High Court and the provision of electronic recording devices, which he said will eliminate the need for judges to record proceedings in longhand.
The Chief Judge assured the public that the facilities, when completed, would be promptly utilised to accommodate magistrates currently sharing courtrooms, thereby enhancing the administration of justice.
Giving an overview of the proposed Magistrate Court in Jabi District, the Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda said the project sits on a 3500 square meters plot of land and involves the construction and furnishing of one block of a four-storey building, six magistrate chambers, a library, office accommodation, among other facilities.
Dauda noted that the construction phase will create employment opportunities for FCT residents, while the project, when completed, will also enable the modernisation of the working conditions of judicial officials.
Managing Director, Poleis Realty, Esco Brown, the contractor of the project, thanked the Minister for entrusting the company with the job and assured that the highest standard would be adhered to in the execution of the project, while promising its timely delivery.
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