Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state has reiterated his commitment to make the state a safe haven for investments through the reform of the justice sector.
Speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony of the Justice Reform Summit, themed “Enhancing The Administration of Justice For Economic Growth, Investment Protection and Security in Lagos State,” the governor noted that Lagos need a stronger justice system to attract more investment.
“We are planning to make Lagos an international financial center.
We want to make Lagos the choice destination for investment and a safe haven for investment worldwide. But for us to do that, we need a strong judicial system for that to exist because that will be one of the strongest points that investors will be looking for. That will be one of the strongest protections that will be required and will be needed,” he said.
Drawing lessons from Singapore which he said have been able to revolutionise its justice system to attract global investments, the Governor acknowledged that Lagos has made significant milestones in justice sector reforms but needs to do more.
He said: “We cannot sit back and expect that because we are the best in our country, that equates us to being one of the best in the world. Singapore has less than 6 million population today, and we are 24 million. They don’t have two heads.
‘They don’t have the kind of minds and strength that we have in this state and in this country. So the question is, what is wrong with us? There is no nation that wants to end its brief anywhere, and doesn’t have a rule of law as one of the beacons of deciding how it engages.
“We said that we’re the commercial economic center. It’s because it’s been built by people. But we cannot sit back and hope that that is the best of what we can do. We must do more.”
The Governor also hinted that more judges will soon be appointed in the state to cope with the increasing number of cases in the court dockets.
In his welcome address, Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, said that to transform the justice sector and everything connected to it, stakeholders must safeguard the rule of law and promote access to justice.
He said that the state is working towards reforming some of its laws to engender economic growth and developments.
