….many Nigerians seek solutions from informal justice sector – HiiL

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, and The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law, HiiL, Friday, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to promote people-based justice system.

The Director General, DG, NGF, Abdulateef Shittu, signed on behalf of his organization while the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, HiiL, Jude Udo Ilo signed on behalf of HiiL.

Speaking on the essence of the MoU, Shittu described it as “a notable milestone”, which had the official launch of the Justice Needs and Satisfaction in Nigeria 2023 Report.

According to him, the report remains a critical tool for understanding the justice needs of Nigerians, which also identify gaps in service delivery and tracking progress in justice sector reform.

He added that It has provided policy makers, practitioners and stakeholders with reliable data to guide more responsive and inclusive justice intervention.

He said: “The Memorandum of Understanding we are signing establishes a framework for structured and sustained collaboration between our two institutions.

“It reflects our shared resolve to promote people-centered justice in Nigeria, justice that is accessible, affordable, fair and responsive to the real needs of citizens.

“Under this partnership, we agree to work together in good faith, applying our best efforts to advance our common goal of improving access to justice.

“We do so based on mutual benefit, mutual respect and recognition of each party’s interests, strengths and international capacity.

“This is not merely a symbolic agreement. It is a commitment to action, learning, innovation and measurable impact. We deeply appreciate and feel confident in our organization and their continued dedication to justice reform in Nigeria.”

He also expressed optimism their partnership with HiiL delivers tangible outcomes for communities, strengthens institutions and places people at the center of justice delivery.

Also, in a remark, the Chief Executive Officer, HiiL, Jude Udo Ilo, said, “In our last justice needs survey, it was very clear that a majority of Nigerians seek justice solutions from the informal justice sector.

“We feel that that in itself is a unique opportunity to expand the opportunity for access to justice but also to close the justice gap by seeing how government can strengthen those informal pathways in a way that they are standardized, in a way that they are documented, in a way that the outcome of those decisions are enforceable.”

Speaking further, he said his institution will work closely with NGF “to ensure that more and more people in this great country of ours can have access to credible, effective, and reliable justice system.”

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the MoU signing, the General Counsel and Head of Energy, Chuku Chijioke, explained that
the MoU is for “an initial period of five years”, but could be extended based on the impact.

He also added that the MoU will change the narrative in the justice system, “So we do believe that through this people-centered justice that HiiL propagates, we may be able to, one, reduce the length of time that is required, two, have a more efficient resolution of disputes.”

Meanwhile, the Country Representative, HiiL Nigeria, Ijeoma Nwafor, said the Institution is already working in some States including Ogun, Kaduna, Katsina, Benue, and Plateau.

Nwafor also said the MoU will strengthen and make the people to easily access places they can seek justice, and that is what they are doing currently.

“Nott everybody can afford courtroom or have access to it. So that community justice center in Imo is one.

“In Ogun State, they have one-stop shop for survivors of Gender Based Violence, GBV, it is called E.B. Isadi Place of Refuge. The idea is that if somebody is a victim, you don’t need to re-victimize them. They should tell their story once, it helps with confidentiality. It also helps with their confidence level, because justice needs to be different.

“In Kaduna, we are going back to Kaduna now to develop their own innovation. We literally create the platform for the stakeholders, for the people. That’s why we are people-centered”, she said.