Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has said his administration will do its best to ensure the South South campus of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) is sited in the state.
Governor Diri gave the assurance on Wednesday when the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary led by Hon. Oluwole Oke paid a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
He said siting the NJI in Bayelsa will complement the campus of the Nigeria Law School in Yenagoa.
He promised members of the committee of his government’s support to achieve the reforms required of the justice system in the country, particularly as they carry out their oversight function in the state.
Diri called on his former colleagues to bring their wealth of experience to bear in addressing the challenges bedeviling the judiciary and tasked them to proffer solutions at the end of their tour.
His words: “You talked about the NJI. We have the Law School here in Yenagoa, and this will complement a school like that. So, I assure you that the state government will support siting of the NJI in Yenagoa.
“We believe you will put in your best to make the judiciary in our country better. I am sure you will bring your wealth of experience to bear.
“As you know, our problems are multifaceted that people always first point to the executive because it carries out the day-to-day administration of government. But it does not end there. The judiciary has its own challenges too.”
Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Oluwole Oke, said they were in the state for on-the-spot assessment of the infrastructure in the judiciary, the courts as well as to ascertain the welfare of the personnel working in the various courts.
On the issue of siting a campus of NJI in the South South, the chairman emphasised that it was borne out of the need to reduce cost of judicial staff traveling for courses to the NJI headquarters in Abuja in relation to the security and safety of participants.
Oke noted that with the governor’s assurance to felicitate establishment of the NJI campus, the committee would look at it and decide appropriately.