Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode at the weekend noted that the reforms carried out in the judicial sector were already improving on the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), thereby commending judicial officers for their integrity and dedication to duty.

He made the remark at a special dinner to mark the New Legal Year of the State Judiciary held at City Hall in Lagos, urging the judges and magistrates to be fair in the dispensation of justice.

Ambode said in view of the symbiotic relationship between investment and effective judiciary and security sectors, conscious efforts have so far been made to foster improvement in the sectors, with the ultimate goal of facilitating more businesses into the state.

Ambode urged judges and magistrates to continue to be fair in their dealings to attract more investment into the State, assuring that his administration remained committed to justice sector reforms and welfare of judicial officers.

According to him, I am a very strong believer in judicial sector reforms. That is why I have tried as much as possible to place more emphasis on security and justice sector reforms because both of them go hand-in-hand to improve on the GDP of Lagos.

He noted, “We have seen that there is a correlation between the improvement we have seen in the judiciary and the level of investment that we are actually witnessing in Lagos.

“The sure way to go is to continue to emphasise on judicial sector reforms and also encourage our judges and magistrates to be fair in their dealings. We would continue to attract more investment to Lagos.”

He congratulated the judiciary for the successes recorded in the last one year, commending the Chief Judge, Justice Opeyemi Oke for her remarkable achievements in office and urging stakeholders in the sector to continue to support the laudable initiatives being implemented by the present administration.

“I can claim clearly here that as the third arm of government. I am happy with the conduct of the judiciary because they have displayed a high sense of integrity and they have actually carried on with a lot of respect.

“Under the leadership of Justice Oke, the integrity and anti-corruption stance of the judiciary has been very commendable. In recognition of this, our administration is committed to supporting the judiciary. We would continue to support the judiciary.

“I want to urge all of us to continue to support the outstanding works that have been carried out and support every other arm to ensure delivery of services to our people.”

At the special dinner, the chief judge commended all stakeholders for their cooperation and support for her administration, saying she was poised to do more to further advance the administration of justice in the state, and Nigeria.

She commended Ambode for the tremendous support to the judiciary, saying it was on record that Ambode was always ready to collaborate and assist when required.

“I especially thank Ambode for his unalloyed and exceptional support of this administration and his understanding of the peculiar nature of the position of the judiciary in government and his strong attention to our requests.”

Source: Thisday - https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/10/21/ambode-links-justice-sector-reforms-to-lagos-gdp-growth/