A group of 43 Nigerian civil society organizations (CSOs) have written to the country’s government calling on Nigeria to support the inclusion of justice targets in the next set of development goals. The justice targets were discussed at a meeting of CSOs in Port Harcourt, Nigeria (pictured) and the text agreed. The Open Letter is addressed to Nigeria’s Attorney General, the Minister of Justice and the Special Assistant to the President on the MDGs.
The text includes: “In Nigeria, existing institutions in the justice sector do not, by and large, perform the functions they are designed to fulfill. This finding applies mainly to the police, the lower courts, the legal aid system and the prison system. These are the institutions which impact mainly on the poor, marginalized, disadvantaged and vulnerable people and communities.”
The Nigerian Justice 2015 campaign is being spearheaded by the African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), led by Okereke Chinwike.