Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday evening, commended judicial officers in the state for their integrity and dedication to duty, saying it was gratifying to note that the reforms carried out in the judicial sector were already improving on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.
Speaking at a special dinner to draw the curtains on the activities marking the 2018/2019 New Legal Year of the State Judiciary held at City Hall in Lagos, Ambode said in view of the symbiotic relationship between investment and effective judiciary and security sectors, conscious efforts have so far been made to foster improvement in the sectors, with the ultimate goal of facilitating more businesses into the State.
The governor, who particularly urged judges and magistrates to continue to be fair in their dealings to attract more investment into the State, said his administration equally remained committed to reforms in the judiciary, as well as improving on the welfare of judicial officers.
“I am a very strong believer in judicial sector reforms and that is why I have tried as much as possible to place more emphasis on judicial sector and security sector reforms because both of them go hand-in-hand to improve on the GDP of Lagos and you have seen that there is a correlation between the improvement we have seen in the judiciary and the level of investment that we are actually witnessing in Lagos.
“And so, the sure way to go is to continue to emphasize on judicial sector reforms and also encourage our Judges and Magistrates to be fair in their dealings and we would continue to attract more investment to Lagos,” the Governor said.
While congratulating the judiciary for the successes recorded in the last one year, Ambode specifically commended the Chief Judge, Justice Opeyemi Oke for her remarkable achievements in office so far, just as he urged stakeholders in the sector to continue to support the laudable initiatives being implemented by the present administration.
“I can claim clearly here that as the third arm of government, I am happy with the conduct of the judiciary because they have displayed a high sense of integrity and they have actually carried on with a whole lot of respect.
“Under the leadership of my lord, Hon Justice Opeyemi Oke, the integrity and anti-corruption stance of the judiciary has been very commendable. In recognition of this, our administration is committed to supporting the judiciary and we would continue to support the judiciary.
“I want to urge all of us to continue to support the outstanding works that have been carried out by the Chief Judge and also support every other arm to ensure delivery of services to our people,” the governor said.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Justice Oke commended all stakeholders for their cooperation and support for her administration, saying she was poised to do more to further advance the administration of justice in the State, and Nigeria.
She particularly commended Ambode for the tremendous support to the judiciary, adding that it was on record that the governor was always ready to strongly collaborate and assist when required.
“I especially thank His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, for his unalloyed and exceptional support of this administration and his understanding of the peculiar nature of the position of the judiciary in government and his strong attention to our requests,” the CJ said.
