The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, has tasked judicial officers on quick dispensation of justice in order to reduce cases on commercial disputes for business to strive.

He stated this on Friday while delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Conference of Network of Justice Sector Reform Teams ( NJSRT) in Lafia, Nasarawa state capital.

Speaking under the theme titled “Interoperability between Access to Justice and the Ease of doing Business,” Fagbemi emphasised that there can be no meaningful economic progress without a robust, predictable, and efficient justice system.

He highlighted that ease of doing business is not merely a matter of enhancing bureaucratic efficiency but it is fundamentally a critical factor in service delivery and justice administration.

He challenged the justice sector teams to set measurable targets on how to reduce the average case life cycle for commercial disputes for national development.

“For too long, our justice system has been perceived as a labyrinth – slow, complex, and inaccessible to the average citizen and business.

He urged the gathering “to move beyond identifying problems and to focus on developing practical, home-grown solutions that can be implemented and scaled.” 

The minister also said, “We must ensure that justice is not a luxury reserved for the wealthy or the connected. It must be a public good, available to all, including the poor, the vulnerable, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who are the lifeblood of our economy.”

While declaring the event open, the Nasarawa state Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said his administration is proud of the steps taken to support justice reform.

He however assured that the state government would leverage on technology to fast-track commercial disputes, strengthen alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to decongest courts.