Legal Nigeria

Lagos: Christian Lawyers Urge More Magistrates As Judges

 

Christian Lawyers’ Fel­lowship of Nigeria (CLAS­FON) has called on the La­gos State Government to elevate magistrates from the lower bench to the state High Court of Justice.

It advocated that 30 percent of all vacancies in the state High Court to be reserved for magistrates that have ex­celled in the discharge of their duties.

Prince Okey-Joe Onuakalu­si, Lagos State chairman of CLASFON, made the call during the inaugural session of the Magistrates-Lawyers Discourse in Lagos at the weekend.

He said that magistrates play critical roles in the dis­pensation of justice, espe­cially at grassroots and in the communities, adding that it is important to recognize their roles and reward them accord­ingly.

He called on the state gov­ernment to improve on the working conditions of mag­istrates, advocating improved funding of the Magistrates Court system in the state.

Onuakalusi also called on the state government to estab­lish a reward system mecha­nism that would reward ex­cellence and diligence in the unique services provided by magistrates.