… says Anambrarians are litigious
Former Anambra Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Sylvia Ifemeje, has said that her four years in office were not a bed of roses but very challenging, as there were many contentious cases she represented the state in up to the Supreme Court and “problematic garnishee orders” to contend with when she came on board.
Addressing members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Aguata Branch, during a meeting she hosted, Professor Ifemeje, who described Anambrarians as litigious, explained that she tackled the garnishee order problem head-on and succeeded in drastically reducing to the barest minimum the number of garnishee order attachments on government accounts through negotiations and expeditious minuting of hearing notices to the appropriate legal departments of the Ministry of Justice for proper legal representation by state counsel.
She listed her achievements in office to include transformative digitalization and full end-to-end automation of the justice sector, facilitating the drafting of 25 landmark executive bills and their subsequent passage into law, championing the establishment of specialized courts such as the Sex and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and Small Claims Courts, and the establishment of an SGBV unit in the Attorney General’s Chambers for diligent prosecution.
Others include the creation of a website for hosting all Anambra laws online once the revised laws currently before the House of Assembly are authenticated, which will enable Anambrarians to have easy access to the laws, as well as the construction of four judges’ quarters and six court halls.
Professor Ifemeje explained that the online hosting of all Anambra laws will enable Anambrarians to have easy access to the laws, while expressing the belief that the four judges’ quarters and six court halls, which are 95% completed, would pave the way for the employment of more judges to quicken the dispensation of justice in Anambra.
Welcoming the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to her base, the NBA Aguata Chairman, Barrister Chijioke Nwankwo, noted that the branch is proud of her for performing well in office and representing members without any scandal.
Thanking Professor Ifemeje for visiting her “constituency,” the NBA First National Vice President, Barrister Sabastine Anyia, and former NBA Aguata Branch Chairman, Barrister David Umeobika, said the former Attorney General was very humble and easily accessible while in office, adding that she has the potential to serve as Attorney General of the Federation and in other higher positions.
Barrister Umeobika, in particular, noted that Professor Ifemeje rendered unblemished service to Anambra that would be remembered for a long time in the state’s history, especially her use of technology in justice delivery, describing it as “an imprint on the sand of history.”
On his part as “an insider” in the government, a member of the NBA Aguata Branch, Barrister Chuks Ezewuzie said that what Professor Ifemeje listed at the event as her achievements in office was just the tip of the iceberg.
