Empowering people through Legal Aid Council
She said the council kept faith with the Transformation Agenda of the present administration in the past two years by taking radical steps in the provision of free legal services with effective monitoring and control. Particularly significant is the Memorandum of Understanding the council signed with the police in nine pilot states to ensure that […]
She said the council kept faith with the Transformation Agenda of the present administration in the past two years by taking radical steps in the provision of free legal services with effective monitoring and control.
Particularly significant is the Memorandum of Understanding the council signed with the police in nine pilot states to ensure that awaiting trial persons would not stay too long in prisons.
Such MoU is of significance because of the tendency for suspects, particularly indigent ones, to languish in police remand facilities as the nation’s convoluted criminal and judicial systems are complied with. One can only hope that the Legal Aid Council would eventually get the funds that the DG said it requires to spreading the initiative to the other states and the FCT to cover the entire country.
The decision by LAC to increase its pro bono activities is equally important. According to the Chairman of the Council, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) the council would bring in private lawyers to contribute to its pro bono activities, a key aspect of the council’s work.
At a time when more and more people are unable to afford legal representation, this news is a cheery one as some accused persons otherwise end up languishing in incarceration. Eventually realizing a lofty goal like this translates into more people having access to justice.
Another remarkable achievement of the Legal Aid Council is its collaboration with Japanese Social Development Bank that has enabled it to launch the Access to Justice for the Poor project in Kaduna state. The three-year project, facilitated by the World Bank, is providing free legal services to indigent persons in the state and the entire country and has already been implemented in 10 local government areas of Kaduna since 2012.
In the coming months, the Legal Aid Council would play increasing roles in decongesting the nation’s prisons. This followed disclosures that the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke was working towards transferring the responsibility of prisons’ decongestion to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.
The challenge of funding faced by the council is something that should be of great concern as there is no organisation that can effectively deliver on its mandate in the absence of funding. This is an appeal that should be responded to with all vigour and enthusiasm of nationalists. After all, the strength of a society is best assessed by the kind of protection if gives to the weak, in this case the indigent people who ordinarily may not be able to afford legal services.
The challenge is however not for those in the legal profession alone. Individuals and organisations can also play roles like setting up foundations or trusts that will support the council financially and in other ways. It is also important that Nigerians keep discourse about the Legal Aid Council on the front burner as many people, especially the indigent ones, who are the target population, are unaware that they can enjoy the services of this organisation without having to pay money.
Philip Agbese, Ankpan Ward, Makurdi.