STATE INTEGRITY MEETING IN BORNO Strengthening Judicial Integrity and Capacity in Nigeria Report of the First State Integrity Meeting Maiduguri, September 19- 20, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD, BY PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO..................................................................... 5 OVERVIEW, BY HON CHIEF JUSTICE M.L. UWAIS, CJN................................................................. 6 A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HON. JUSTICE MOHAMMED LAWAL UWAIS, CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA.................................................................................................................................................. 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 9 A. BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 9 B. PLENARY SESSION ................................................................................................................................... 9 C. GROUP PRESENTATIONS.................................................................................................................... 12 E . NEW COMMITTEES ESTABLISHED TO IMPLEMENT REFORM.................................................................. 14 1. Implementation Committee (IC)....................................................................................................... 14 2. Procurement and Purchasing Committee (PPC) .............................................................................. 14 3. Public Complaints and Training Committee (PCTC) ....................................................................... 14 4. CJS Co-ordination Committee (CJS-CC) ......................................................................................... 15 5. Jurisdictional Review Committee in Respect of Magistrate, Sharia/Area Courts (JRC) ................. 15 F. PRIORITIZED ACTION PLAN ................................................................................................................... 16 D. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................... 33 I STRENGTHENING JUDICIAL INTEGRITY ............................................................................... 35 A. REPORT OF THE JUDICIAL GROUP STRENGTHENING JUDICIAL INTEGRITY: THE FIRST MEETING ........... 35 1. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 35 2. Recommendations........................................................................................................................ 37 B. STRENGTHENING JUDICIAL INTEGRITY AND CAPACITY IN NIGERIA....................................................... 42 1. Project Background .......................................................................................................................... 42 2. Problem to be addressed ............................................................................................................. 44 3. Project Strategy And Expected Outcome..................................................................................... 44 4. Project Reviews: Reporting And Evaluation.................................................................................... 46 II OUTCOME OF THE 1ST STATE INTEGRITY MEETING IN BORNO..................................... 48 A. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................... 48 B. PLENARY SESSION ................................................................................................................................. 48 1. Group 1: Suggestions .................................................................................................................. 49 2. Group 2: Quality of Justice............................................................................................................... 49 3. Group 3: Public Confidence ............................................................................................................. 50 4. Group 4:Public Complaints (Hon. Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi) ........................................................ 50 5. Group 5:Co-ordination (Abba Mohammed) ..................................................................................... 51 C. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 51 1. Group 1, Access to Justice........................................................................................................... 51 2. Increasing the Public's Understanding of their Basic Rights and Obligations as well as of the court process......................................................................................................................................... 51 3. Maintaining/ increasing the affordability of justice to the poor.................................................. 52 4. Infrastructure changes to increase access to justice. .................................................................. 53 5. Reducing congestion in jails........................................................................................................ 53 6. Strengthened Public Communication Channels .......................................................................... 54 7. Additional recommendations to increase the access to justice.................................................... 54 2. Group two; Quality of Trial Process........................................................................................... 55 3. Group three; Public Confidence.................................................................................................. 57 4. GROUP 4; Public Complaint System.......................................................................................... 61 GROUP 4: PUBLIC COMPLAINTS SYSTEM. ................................................................................................ 61 RANK AVERAGE MEASURE.................................................................................................................... 66 5. Group Five, Coordination in the Criminal Justice System.......................................................... 74 III. OPENING SESSION IN FIRST INTEGRITY MEETING IN BORNO ....................................... 77 2 A. WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE CHIEF JUDGE ....................................................................................... 77 B. CHALLENGES FACING THE COMMISSION AND THE ROLE OF THE JUDICIAL INTEGRITY PROJECT ....... 79 1. The Challenges............................................................................................................................ 82 2. Staff Strength............................................................................................................................... 82 3. Housing/Accommodation ............................................................................................................ 82 4. Reforming Institutions of State and their Practices..................................................................... 82 5. Public Enlightenment and Education.......................................................................................... 83 6. Information Technology.................................................................................................................... 83 7. Global Collaboration........................................................................................................................ 83 8. The Role of Judicial Integrity Project............................................................................................... 83 C. GLOBAL DYNAMICS OF CORRUPTION; THE ROLE OF THE UN ........................................................... 85 I. The Issues .......................................................................................................................................... 85 2 Impact Of Current Anit Corruption Initiatives?............................................................................... 89 3. UN Convention against Corruption ............................................................................................ 92 4 Other United Nations Initiatives ...................................................................................................... 97 5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 101 6 Bibliographical References............................................................................................................ 104 D. INDEPENDENT COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT; PROF. I.A. AYUA, SAN, D.G. NIALS.................. 107 E. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS BY NIALS, BORNO STATE ....................................................................... 109 1. General Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 109 E. REMARKS BY THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF BORNO STATE ........................................... 113 E. VOTE OF THANKS, HON CHIEF JUSTICE BORNO STATE................................................................... 113 IV OUTCOME OF THE 1ST FEDERAL INTEGRITY MEETING FOR CHIEF JUDGES.......... 114 A. THE GENERAL PLENARY DISCUSSION............................................................................................