Malami’s Memorable Accomplishments in 2022 (1)
๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ง. ๐๐ข๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐ช ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐๐ช
Last year 2022 was not only enthrallingly enchanting, but also fascinatingly action-packed especially in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Like many previous years, Malami was all-year-round pre-occupied with public interest engagements in a bid to execute the statutory mandate and constitutionally endowed responsibilities of the office as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. The year was full of success stories of victorious and memorable accomplishments of which I choose to highlight the following:
1. ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐ค๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฒ litigation As a demonstration of commitment to settle an inherited dispute with foreign investors, Malami, through the instrumentality of the office of Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was able to settle the convolutedly tortuous and long-standing contractual dispute with a foreign investor group in the steel space of $5.258 billion for $496m. With this development in September 2022, Malami said President Muhammadu Buhari has rescued the steel industry from interminable and complex disputes as well as saving the taxpayer from humongous damages which consequently open door for steel development, economic empowerment, creation of more job opportunities and eventual
industrialization of Nigeria.
2. ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ In line with the commitment to promoting the rule of law, the government has accorded top priority to the funding of the judiciary. Malami contributed immensely in facilitating Presidential approval for the immediate implementation of the enhanced salary and welfare scheme for judicial officers.
The government has ensured a “progressive budgetary allocation to the judiciary which has seen an increase from N73billion in 2015 to over
N130billion in 2022. A further increased sum of N150billion has been proposed for 2023,” Malami disclosed this in his speech at the at the special court session of the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year and conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria to 62 recipients.
The Minister expressed high optimism that the recent approval granted by President Muhammadu Buhari for increase in the salaries and allowances of the judicial officers will enhance their health condition, well-being and professional development as well as usher in a new lease of life as an impetus for the judiciary to operate maximally in a more beneficial and satisfying environment.
3. ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฌ Federal Ministry of Justice under the leadership of Malami recorded landmark achievements in convicting 45 cases by the Complex Casework Group (CCG), Maritime Unit, and the Special Task Force on Electricity Offences and across the 13 Zonal Offices of the Ministry. Similarly, in the year 2022 the office activated the prosecution of 312 criminal cases for various offences including Terrorism, Maritime Crimes, Armed Robbery, Cyber Crime, Kidnapping, among others. The Office has secured over one thousand (1000) convictions on Terrorism.
The Office also participated in the Joint Investigation Committee and Collaboration in Service Wide Initiatives geared towards early
engagement of prosecution-guided investigation in terrorism cases and also engaged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ongoing satisfactory prosecution of seven (7) potential ICC cases to obviate the trigger for any ICC prosecution.
4. ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐๐)
In response to the growing incidence of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the Country. The President directed the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Management Committee on the eradication of SGBV. Further to this, the Ministry established the SGBV Response Unit. The activities of the Ministry in this regard has yielded the ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ:
I. ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐; this includes prosecution of SGBV cases; the ministry is currently prosecuting over 30 cases ranging from rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, and defilement of children and homicide as result of SGBV;
II. ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐;
๐๐๐. ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ cases in area of reporting of incidence, data harmonization, capacity building and Inter-Agency collaboration.
(to be continued)
