The Former Minister for Works, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) with other dignitaries while receiving award from from the Egbe Amofin Oodua Conference (Yoruba Forum of Nigerian Bar Association) in Lagos on Thursday.
Infrastructure
By Adenike Ayodele
Ikeja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The Former Minister for Works, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has called on government to develop an infrastructure that would make art, tourism and talent thrive as drivers of growth.
Fashola, made this submission while delivering a keynote address at the Egbe Amofin Oodua Conference (Yoruba Forum of Nigerian Bar Association) in Ikeja on Thursday.
The former Lagos State governor said that what Nigeria needed to achieve the desired change was inclusive and expansive growth.
He encouraged members of Egbe Amofin Odua to promote dispute resolution mechanisms among their clients.
The learned silk also urged the Yoruba lawyers to rethink their roles as lawyers and act as agents of development in the interest of national growth by ensuring that investors had confidence in the judiciary.
Fashola reiterated that the prospect for development growth required enabling law reforms to ease doing business.
The senior advocate further related the rate of enforcement of arbitral awards and the number of challenges to them as he emphasised that these were very serious soft infrastructure drivers or inhibitors of growth and development.
According to him: “In cases where injunctions have been granted ex-parte or on notice and the party who got them turned out not to be entitled, what has been the consequence?
“How many lawyers, judges have been involved in trial to enforce the indemnity given for a wrongly granted injunction and what was the outcome?
“The prospects for economic growth depend on our collective professionalism to help overcome challenges that stand in the way.
“As an Egbe of legal practitioners, a lot exists that we can do including but not limited to enabling law reform, reforming training curriculum of how to incorporate new areas of economic output such as sports, entertainment and tourism.”
Fashola also urged the promotion of an efficient dispute resolution process that helped ease of doing business and the removal of legal hurdles to ease construction and delivery of hard infrastructure.
“These are my thoughts on the prospects and challenges for economic growth because the possibilities are enormous but we must act deliberately and in collaboration to realise them,” he said.
Dr Kemi Peinhero (SAN) said, in his welcome address, that an efficient judicial system provided the framework for stability and economic development.
Peinhero said justice was the great interest of man on earth and the ligament which held civilised society together.
According to him: “Without it, there is neither security of life nor liberty.
“It is crystal clear that a working and functional judicial system plays a major role in the society in maintaining not just law and order but boosting the economy.
‘The government must as a matter of great importance take active steps towards reforming the judiciary to ensure the expeditious and fair administration of justice.
“No serious nation prioritises matters relating to the elections over the economy. An efficient judicial system provides the framework for stability and economic development.”
Senator Ajibola Bashir, another member of the Egbe Amofin, in his goodwill message, also called on government to take into cognisance and have a thorough thought that development was not for elites to gather wealth for themselves but for even distribution of wealth among the lower, middle and lower class.
Mr Adebayo Haroun, who represented the Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), in his goodwill message, said that administration of justice must be improved in all sectors. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
OAR/COF
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Edited by Christiana Fadare
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