Oyo government, PPDC to expand court administration, case management

The government of Oyo says it will support the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), a civil society organisation (CSO), in its move to expand court administration and case management in the state.

Iyabo Yerima, the chief judge of Oyo, and Abiodun Aikomo, commissioner for justice and attorney general, announced the collaboration when the management of PPDC paid them a courtesy visit in Ibadan, the state capital, on Thursday.

They emphasised the importance of efficient and timely dispensation of justice, assuring the team that the state government would provide every logistics to ensure the success of the projects.

While the chief judge was represented by O. A. Ogunrin, the deputy court registrar, (DCR – AGM), the attorney-general received the team during the visit.

They pledged to provide an adequate space for the automated shelving systems, profiling, and archiving essential to the project.

Speaking earlier, Lucy Abagi, the chief executive officer of PPDC, said the project, when completed, would aid quick dispensation of justice and reduce the number of pre-trial detainees in correctional facilities across the state.

Abagi highlighted the outcomes of the previous implementations in the states already visited.

She listed the states to include Nasarawa, Plateau, and Kaduna, where the projects are already ongoing.

“Our team is optimistic about the potential for transformative changes in the Oyo State criminal justice system and looks forward to replicating the successes in the state, thereby fostering greater transparency and accountability in the justice sector,” NAN quoted Abagi as saying.

“The project will improve access to justice and provide a platform to share the experiences, learnings, impacts, and challenges encountered during the implementation of the project.

“It will also serve as a platform to introduce government officials, civil society organisations and other relevant leaders to the Reforming Pre-Trial Detention in Nigeria (RPDN) project.

“This will, in great measure, reduce the number of pre-trial detainees.

“We will also implement custodial measures as a means of decongesting detention facilities substantially, with the aim of promoting alternatives to custodial measures and addressing the root causes of crime and conflicts in our communities,” she said.

Abagi said the visit would provide an opportunity to build an internally strong and knowledge-driven state and non-state actors advocating for access to justice with transparency and accountability,” she said.

The projects are designed to promote values and initiatives that drive institutional, behavioural, and systemic change in society.