The Court of Appeal Act 2013 was amended on Tuesday by the Senate, bringing the total number of Justices on the Court of Appeal from 90 to 110.
This came after Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the committee’s chairman, approved the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters.
Senator Chukwuka Utazi’s measure, according to Bamidele, intended to expand the number of Justices of the Court of Appeal from 90 to 110.
He claims that the amendment’s legislative goal is to guarantee that the court has the necessary staff to permit collaboration between all of the court’s divisions.
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According to him, the bill was created to speed up the administration of justice while yet bringing justice closer to litigants.
“This is necessary in order to eliminate delay in the justice delivery systems, as it relates to the adjudicatory powers of the court
“These proposed amendments undoubtedly are targeted at increasing the workload of the court and enhancing its effective performance,” he said.
Given the bill’s strategic importance to the reform of the justice system, he claimed that stakeholders were unified in their support for its passage.
He predicted that in the end, the amendment will encourage swift justice.
“The one silent improvement of this bill is the aspect that seeks to integrate virtual court proceedings which have become an integral part of our court proceedings.
“This also is in line with the guideline given to courts by the Chief Justice of the Federation, as justice will no longer be delayed,” he said.
A bill that would have established a system for the nation’s political leadership was likewise tabled by the Senate.
Following a complaint that the bill conflicted with a clause in the 1999 Constitution by senators Bala Ib’n Nala and Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, this was done.
Senator Abba Moro served as the bill’s sponsor.
When introducing the measure, Moro stated that its goal was to pass legislation to change the constitution’s provisions and establish a system for rotating the presidency among the nation’s geopolitical regions.
The Federal University of Medicine and Medical Science Egbe, Kogi establishment bill and the National Health Act Amendment Bill 2014 were both approved by the Senate.
This comes after the Senate Committee on Health’s reports were adopted (Secondary and Tertiary).
