Malami lauds legal studies institute

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minster of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has commended the activities of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies for rendering valuable services in the country.

Malami made this known in a speech at 2020 founders’ day lecture organised by Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies on Tuesday in Abuja. This is contained in a statement issued by Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and made available to newsmen on Tuesday 17th March, 2020.

“I must commend the Institute for its special relationship with the Ministry of Justice, as the Institute enjoys a symbiotic relationship with my office. This has made the attainment of its statutory mandate assured and meaningful,” the Minister has said. Malami said the Institute has is very supportive to its parent Ministry in form of ground breaking researches and capacity building for our Law Officers.

“I recall that we often turn to the Institute when dealing with emerging areas of law such as Anti-Terrorism Law and Practice, ICT and Cybercrime laws, etc,” Speaking on the theme “Nigeria In Quest of Good Governance, Law and
Beyond Law”.

Malami said the ideals of those concepts however seem to have been continually and continuously been flouted by most African states. He recalled that some scholars have argued that the ideal of good governance has continued to elude most states of African descent, because of the twin problems of endemic corruption and basic departure from the rule of law and constitutionalism.

Thus African states have been accused of having ‘constitutions without the spirit of constitutionalism’; of having laws without respect for the rule of law; and of ‘creating poverty out of God given wealth’ due to lack of good governance.

Malami noted that rule of law, being one of the key-components of good governance, plays a significant role in fine-tuning the required
leadership style that is geared towards the attainment of a better society, hence the need for every nation/political entity and organisation to assimilate and indoctrinate same.

The Minister said being a formidable instrument of social change, law is used by mankind in addressing social vices and in paving ways for
orderly society, where peace and development thrives. Indeed, law has proved to be inevitable phenomenon in a quest for good governance,” he said.

“By the appropriate utilization of the instrumentality of our legislature, we have been able to sponsored good number of bills to
the National Assembly in complementing the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to bring about the much-needed good governance in our dear nation”.

The Minister said President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration in its unrelenting fight against corruption which manifestly has yielded unquantifiable excellent results in the eradication of corrupt practices and enthronement of good governance in Nigeria.

Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu
(Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice)
17th March, 2020.