By MaryAnn Chukwuma
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has called for constitutional reforms that would allow each state in Nigeria to establish its own Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Governor Soludo made the proposal during the ARISE TV Town Hall on State Police held on July 9, where he spoke on the need for a more efficient and accessible judicial system across the country.
The governor argued that states should be empowered to operate their own appellate and supreme courts to ensure quicker resolution of disputes, particularly those affecting local communities and matters within state jurisdiction.
According to him, decentralising the judicial structure would help reduce delays in the administration of justice, improve efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s federal system by granting states greater judicial autonomy.
He noted that many disputes originating within states should be resolved without the need to pass through multiple layers of the federal judicial system before reaching final determination.
“A land dispute in a remote village shouldn’t have to travel all the way to the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court,” Soludo said.
Governor Soludo expressed concern over the length of time some cases take to conclude, saying that disputes such as land matters should not remain unresolved for decades.
“Such disputes should not take 30 years to resolve,” he said, stressing that delayed justice undermines public confidence in the judicial system and hampers social and economic development.
The governor maintained that creating state-level appellate and supreme courts would bring justice closer to the people, reduce pressure on federal courts and promote more timely adjudication of cases.
MaryAnn Chukwuma is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
