The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable
Femi Gbajabiamila says Nigeria needs to impose “deep cuts” in the
cost of governance in the country.
Gbajabiamila said this on Thursday at the beginning of the
Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper
(FSP) revenue considerations with revenue-generating agencies.
It was organized by the House of Representatives Committee on
Finance.
According to him, with the country facing a fiscal crisis
coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to reduce the
cost of governance to free up revenue for infrastructure
development.
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“We have a responsibility to act with urgent determination to
build the infrastructure of opportunity that is required to lift
millions of our fellow citizens out of poverty,” the lawmaker
said.
“We recognise that we cannot accomplish these objectives using
loans and outside financing alone.
“Therefore, we need to impose deep cuts in the cost of
governance and improve internal revenue generation and collection
so that we can free up resources that can then be deployed to fund
policy initiatives that will enhance the lives of our people.”
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the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
While restating that revenue-generating agencies have a role to
place in helping the country increase its revenue base, he lamented
that there is a “consistent failure to adhere to the revenue
remittance agreements to which many of these agencies have
committed.”
The Speaker added: “We have credible reports that these
desperately needed funds have in many cases, been diverted to
finance unnecessary trivialities. At the same time, the Government
is left scrambling for alternative sources to fund priority
projects.”
He said as a critical part of the government, the legislature is
backed by law to ensure the country’s resources are used
judiciously for the betterment of the masses.
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…With tech innovation, democratization of law and justice now on
fast-track”
Technology and the innovations it entail has defined a new way
of life, taking technology away from the realms of luxury into the
arena of everyday endeavours whether in the professions or in
matters of lifestyle generally.
In fact, the advance of technology is now fast-tracking the
democratization of law and justice in Nigeria, according to Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in his keynote at the
Virtual Law Pavilion Technology Conference with the theme “A New
Paradigm in Justice Delivery”. Also at the event, the Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed; the President of the
Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN, and others addressed the
theme of the 2020 Legal Tech Conference.
According to him, “No one believed the day would come when the
Supreme Court would, as it has now done, endorse Virtual Court
Proceedings. Or that the day will come when e-filing of court
processes will be considered medically safer than physical filing
of court processes.
“Today, even judges, especially older ones, will of course
prefer virtual processes to in-person proceedings. Technology and
the fourth industrial revolution, are no longer luxuries but they
are the inevitable substructure of our new way of life.
“For the administration of justice system, change has surely
come and I am personally excited to see how easily our entire
judicial system is willingly adapting to innovation.”
Speaking further on the impact of technology, the Vice President
said with technology and innovation, the democratization of law and
justice is now on fast-track.
According to him, “Tech companies must now innovate even more.
We must now have purpose-built virtual-proceedings software that
take into account the various needs of trials and other court
proceedings.
“There will be opportunities for retraining of judicial
personnel, lawyers, and paralegal staff, the new normal calls for
new skills and new ways of doing old things and doing away with
many old habits.”
On the need for the entirety of Nigeria’s justice sector to
embrace “the new normal”, the Vice President said though no one had
predicted that a time would come when authorities would endorse
virtual court proceedings, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19
pandemic has necessitated the adoption of technology for all court
processes.
Referring to the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the event, the Vice
President noted that “already, my Lord, the Chief Justice has set
the example of adaptation to the new paradigm.”
Prof. Osinbajo urged lawyers and stakeholders in the justice
sector to be prepared for the times ahead by finding alternative
and better ways of delivering legal and associated services.
He said “the next few years will see even more changes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a bigger role in our court
systems, I am told that Law Pavilion is already pioneering an
AI-Powered-Speech-to-Text- Transcription System to replace writing
in long hand and even the traditional slow stenographic
recording.
“There is also the AI-Powered Document Review System that helps
judges quickly extract authorities and laws cited in any legal
documents, outlines and analyses the principles relied upon
automatically, in seconds. This is aside from the comprehensive
court proceedings software that they have now perfected.”
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “…nothing can ever be the same
again. Legal practice is also in a flux. Artificial Intelligence
will make research a million times faster, the lawyer may no longer
be required for several categories of legal advice.
“There are already apps updated to the latest positions in
legislation and case law. The lawyer must become a
multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking tech savvy person of affairs,”
recalling a description he gave to students of law at a recent
function.
He restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to
support technology companies to drive the gradual shift of systems,
in the country, to the ‘new normal’.
In his contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice
Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed said the judiciary which plays a crucial
role in the economic development of Nigeria, must embrace changes
within the environment so that it will continue to remain relevant
in the scheme of things.
The Legal Tech Conference is organized by the Law Pavilion in
partnership with TELNET Nigeria Ltd. The conference is a 2-day
virtual event featuring other speakers including Supreme Court
Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola; Ondo State Chief Judge, Olarenwaju
Olutoyin Akeredolu; Borno State Chief Judge, Kashima Zannah; Ekiti
State Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Olawale Fapohunda;
and Mr Dapo Akinosun, Partner, SimmonsCooper, amongst others..
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media &
Publicity
Office of the Vice President
13th August, 2020