A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, has advised the incoming Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to develop and sustain the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre of the court.
Gadzama, whom the outgoing chief judge of the court, Justice Abdu Kafarati, described as ‘ADR guru’, gave the advice on Friday while speaking with newsmen shortly after the commissioning of the centre in Abuja.
He noted that ADR had become a potent tool for decongesting the courts due to the frustration occasioned by endless litigations.
“ADR has come to stay because of the enormous delays in our court system. ADR and mediation is the way to go. And I believe the incoming chief judge of the Federal High Court will continue to develop and enhance the ADR centre that has been commissioned today.
“We are aware that any moment from now, the outgoing chief judge of the FHC will be taking a bow and that presupposes that somebody will be coming. We believe that it is going to be an effortless, seamless and straightforward process,” Gadzama noted.
The Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), last month, nominated Justice Tsoho, the next most senior judge of the Federal High Court, to succeed Justice Kafarati who will be retiring this month from the bench.
The SAN lauded Kafarati for his innovative leadership of the court, saying, “The outgoing CJ has written his name in gold.”
Earlier, Kafarati unveiled the new civil procedure rules 2019, saying that the rules would enhance speedy and efficient administration of justice.
“The new civil procedure rules 2019 have now been gazetted and ready for unveiling. It has introduced a lot of innovations to enhance speedy dispensation of justice,” the outgoing CJ said.
