Corruption
By Sandra Umeh
Lagos, April 3, 2018 (NAN) The Fight Against Corruption in the Judiciary (FIACIJ) Initiative on Tuesday in Lagos inaugurated a project tagged “IDENTIFY’’, aimed at curbing incidences of corrupt practices around courts in the state.
The FIACIJ Coordinator, Mr Bayo Akinlade, said that the project was a direct follow-up to the “Give-No-Bribe’’ campaign, held earlier in the year in a statement.
According to Akinlade, the project challenges lawyers and litigants to identify the root causes of corruption in the courts.
He said that it was also to identify the key players in such acts as well as identifying policies, rules or regulations which aid corruption.
He said that lawyers and litigants were expected to identify solutions to corrupt practices bedeviling the judiciary.
“The project will last the remaining part of the year and we have spread our time table around the acronym I.D.E.N.T.I.F.Y.
“So that in every month, we look at a specific alphabet in the word and engage accordingly,’’ Akinlade said
Akinlade gave the meaning of the acronyms as: I-Investigate, D-Develop Strategies, E-Engage, T-Training, I-Information, F-Finalise and Y-You.
“In the month of April, our focus will be to investigate corrupt elements within the judiciary.
“We will be taking a closer look into why corruption has eaten so deep into our society and we will be asking lots of questions about the workings of the courts.
“In the month of May, we will begin the exercise of developing strategies for engaging the problem of corruption holistically.
“In June, we will brainstorm with the Nigerian Bar Association and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, which are the major players in the judiciary on possible ways of liberating the judiciary and promoting a corrupt-free space,’’ he said.
According to him, in July, we hope to organise trainings that will teach lawyers how not to give a bribe and how to tackle extortions.
“We will plan trainings and seminars for groups interested in combating corruption in our courts as well as examine practices and behaviours, which aid corrupt practices.
“In October; after the long vacation, we will provide information on how to interact with our courts and steps to take when filing a process.
“To keep both lawyers and litigants informed on the workings of the registry and guide against extortion.
“In November, we will collate and summarise all efforts and engage with stakeholders with a view to establishing an institutional framework, which will help monitor the courts, lawyers and litigants.
“In December, the emphasis will be on the individual, as the key to ending corruption in the judiciary,’’ he said.
Akinlade said, “ FIACIJ has not come to condemn judges, magistrates or judicial staff but to device means of permanently defeating corruption within the court’s system.’’ (NAN)
UNS/AJA/PAD
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(Edited by Adeleye Ajayi/Peter Dada)