The Federal Government has inaugurated a 46-man committee tasked with identifying and reviewing outdated laws in the country.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, constituted the committee comprising retired judges, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and top officials from the Nigeria Law Reform Commission and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The committee, chaired by Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, SAN, and co-chaired by Professor Jummai Audi, has six months to complete the national assignment. Fagbemi described the task as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration efforts to promote the rule of law and access to justice, enabling socio-economic growth and advancing legal reforms.
Fagbemi emphasized the need for continuous review and reform of laws to address contemporary socio-economic developments and resolve conflicting provisions. He noted that the Laws of the Federation have not been updated since 2004, leading to clarity, predictability, consistency, and uniformity issues.
The committee’s key focus areas include identifying outdated laws, harmonizing conflicting laws, and ensuring uniformity and consistency. This aims to attract socio-economic growth, investment, promote efficiency, and adapt to technological advancements.
Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, urged committee members to undertake the assignment with patriotism, highlighting that some laws unchanged for 20 years have become archaic.
The committee’s terms of reference include coordinating the collection and compilation of laws up to 2024, working with government agencies to harmonize laws, identifying outdated laws for repeal, and preparing a comprehensive report.
