IMPROVING JUSTICE DELIVERY IN KADUNA STATE

The existence of a justice system that is efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of the people is cardinal to achieving a secure, stable and economically viable political entity-be it national or sub-national. Bearing in mind this important fact, in the year 2015 the United Nations included goal 16.3 as part of its Sustainable Development Goals Agenda (SGDs) 2030. Goal 16.3 centres on promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensuring equal access to justice for all. Nigeria (as a signatory to the UN charter) had embraced the gospel of goal 16.3 and consequently tailored its policies and programs in that direction. However, in the year 2018, a Justice Needs and Satisfaction (JNS) Survey carried-out by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria revealed gaps in Nigeria’s institutionalized efforts towards achieving goal 16.3. This survey took cognisance of (in order of significance) the recurring legal problems majority of Nigerians faced, what actions they took towards solving these problems, the avenues they utilized in resolving these problems (formal or informal) and most importantly the outcomes resultant from employing these avenues. The overall outcome of this survey revealed that only about 40% of Nigerians found solutions to their legal problems. This outcome is no doubt antithetical of the second arm of goal 16.3 which professes ‘ensuring equal access to justice for all’ and foreshadows the seeming impossibility of achieving this goal come the year 2030.

Agitated by the reality of the likelihood of Nigeria missing the global target of attaining goal 16.3 by the year 2030, and in line with its founding philosophy of promoting access to user-friendly justice, the Hague Institute of Innovation of Law (HiiL) initiated series of programs aimed at providing solutions to the gaps revealed in the 2018 JNS Survey. Notable amongst these programs were the Civil Justice Transformation Lab aimed at delivering a civil justice process which encourages and promotes a safe and conducive environment for living, working and doing business in Ogun State and the Justice Transformation Lab which sought to create a user-friendly, effective, comprehensible and accessible justice delivery system in Kaduna State.

As a social enterprise devoted to promoting user-friendly justice around the global, HiiL ascribes to the ideology of the people centred-justice movement which revolves round promoting a justice system that resolves peoples’ justice problems, prevents injustices both large and small scale and creates opportunities for people to participate fully in their societies and economies. HiiL also strives to encourage strengthening of justice systems which put the people and the outcomes they need at the centre, not institutions and existing procedures.

As one of the pilot states where the JNS survey was conducted and informed by the data findings particular to Kaduna State from the survey, HiiL convened a three- part stakeholder dialogue series, which had in attendance critical stakeholders in the justice ecosystem in Kaduna State. These stakeholders were drawn from the executive, judicial and legislative arms of government; civil society groups, religious groups and traditional institutions. The overarching goals and expected outcomes of the stakeholder dialogue series were: to develop an evidence-and-needs based approach to access to justice by

working with data collected from the people of Kaduna State; to develop a set of justice goals and pathways to achieve them and create an enabling environment to realise them; to identify key challenges and innovative solutions- called game-changers, that offer the highest potential for improving access to justice; create a real and implementable justice strategy to make justice accessible for all in Kaduna State.

At the conclusion of the dialogue series, a strategy paper was developed and subsequently unveiled on the 1^st November 2022 by the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe. The 57-page strategy paper tagged “Strategy Document for People Centred Justice Transformation in Kaduna State” identified three major intractable justice problems in Kaduna State i.e. crimes, policing and money disputes and then formulated goals aimed at resolving these problems in a manner that depicts the people as the drivers of the resolution mechanism(s) rather than the already existing institutions and procedures. Consequently, pathways on how to improve resolutions of each these justice problems have been identified. These pathways take into cognisance opportunities, threats and uncertainties inherent in each of the three problems identified. Most importantly, the document has outlined innovative solutions or game-changers which hold the prospect of improving the outcomes of resolutions for people faced with any of the three justice problems. These game-changers include social, economic, institutional factors as well as human actors. For instance traditional and religious leaders have been identified as enabling actors who can effectively contribute to reducing crimes in a community.

With the launch of this strategy document, the stage has now been set for the operationalization of the recommendations contained in the document, particularly the innovative justice service delivery models which would no doubt resonate with the people. Going forward, the PCJ Strategy Document is expected to be harmonized with the Kaduna State Policy on Justice to create a legal framework which adequately meets justice needs of the people of Kaduna State in all spheres.

It is therefore safe to say that the implantation of the concept of people-centred justice (which promotes the resolution of the people’s legal problems, prevents occurrence, is tailored towards meeting their needs and creates opportunities for them to fully participate in their societies and economy and most importantly puts them and the outcomes they need at the centre, not institutions) is an imperative for Kaduna State at these perilous times. It is indubitable that, one of the sure benefits of this novel and noble concept of justice delivery for Kaduna State is improved user satisfaction. The rest can best be imagined.

John Aku Ambi, a Legal Practitioner and a Justice Reform Advocate, writes from Kaduna