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As the Justice for All (J4A) six years programme of the Department for International Development (DFID) comes to an end in Enugu State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has appealed to the agency to introduce a successor programme that would help bring further improvements to the justice sector in the state, for the enduring benefit of the people and the society at large.
Gov. Ugwuanyi, who made the appeal at the close out and valedictory ceremony for the J4A programme at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, assured that his administration as a responsible government will sustain the gains made from the efforts of the organisation.
This came as the DFID applauded the governor for his quality leadership and the massive support offered by his administration to the donor agency, saying that he provided the enabling environment for the success of the programme in the state.
The governor who addressed the gathering, noted that the event evoked mixed emotions for the state, saying that “inasmuch as we have come to celebrate the achievements of the J4A programme and the impact it has made in the lives of our people, we are equally saddened that the programme has run its course and has now come to a close as far as Enugu State is concerned”.
He, nonetheless, expressed gratitude to the DFID for the concern and commitment towards the success story of the J4A programme in the state and other programmes, adding that “the programme made excellent and unprecedented interventions and introduced innovations that have greatly helped to enhance the administration and dispensation of Justice in the State”.
These interventions, according to the governor, include, “support to Magistrate and Customary Courts more especially, the renovation and furnishing of court complexes; Work on model police stations and voluntary Policing sector (MPS and VPS); support to Community Paralegal and Village mediation programme; engagement with the Enugu Justice Reform Team to ensure the passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law; establishment of witness support unit in the High Court; development of practice direction on case Management; and establishment of case management in prisons, among others.
Earlier in his remark, the Head of DFID in Sub-Sahara Africa, Bob Anon, noted that the event was also to showcase the agency’s achievements, its resources and impacts for other neighboring states to learn and educate others about the programme.
The agency added that Enugu State was rated far above other states in the country in the world rating of the programme and equally commended the governor for converting some of its ad hoc workers in the state’s Ministry of Justice to permanent civil servants.