Judiciary has contributed to peace, stability of Nigeria —CJN

THE Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onoghen, has said that timely intervention of the courts at critical points in Nigeria has certainly contributed in no small measure to the peace and stability being witnessed in the country.

Justice Nkanu, said this at the opening ceremony of the workshop on Oil and Gas Matters with the theme: Enhancing the Quality of Judicial Services in the Petroleum Sector, for Judges, organised by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI), held at the PTDF House, Abuja.

He said the responsibilities of judicial officers, were to endear the hearts of the populace and litigants alike, to be knowledgeable in the law.

He challenged them to be in charge of their courts to ensure speedy resolution of disputes which would in turn serve as an economic development mechanism, since investors and other major players in the industry would remain confident that their investments were safe.

The CJN told them to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution methods, such as arbitration and mediation, which would engender the expedition resolution of cases.

He said the workshop was organised with the objective of keeping the judges abreast with the role of the judiciary in ensuring mastery of the dealings in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of PTDF, Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau, said the Nigerian oil and gas industry was presently undergoing very major and fundamental changes, including the introduction of series of new legislations that would govern the operations of the industry.

He explained that the industry was by and large constituted by a network of legal relationships, which could be between the Nigerian State and International Oil Companies, between different partnering companies, between host communities and producing companies or even between suppliers and consumers of the products of the industry.