Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has commenced the sponsorship of an executive bill at the Ekiti State House of Assembly aimed at ensuring products of the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice emerge the ministry’s Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General by law. The last time a staff of the ministry occupied the Solicitor-General position before the second coming of governor Fayose was 2002.

The governor made this known during an interactive session with lawyers from the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice at the government house on Wednesday. Mr. Fayose said he called for the meeting so he could have a first hand relationship with the lawyers. “I don’t want to be a governor who is not in the know, I want feedbacks on cases being handled by your ministry, we cannot shy away from the importance of the Justice ministry”, the governor said.

Mr. Fayose who noted that the beneficiaries of the bill when passed into law must have spent at least 15 years in the Ministry added that such move would bring hope and encourage workers in the Ministry to put in their best for the betterment of the State.

Demanding considerable improvement from lawyers in the Ministry, Governor Fayose charged the workers to make themselves more available, noticeable and visible stressing that openness to correction and not being complacent will do them a whole lot of good even as professionals.

Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Babatope Ojo in his reaction described the meeting as first of its kind saying it has never occurred in the history of the State that a governor will jaw-jaw with lawyers in the Ministry. He thanked the governor for sponsoring the bill that will elevate workers in the Ministry.

Mr. Ojo appreciated the governor for payment of backlog of court appearances, approval of wardrobe allowance, upgrade of staff, provision of buses, appointment of a “Staff in the Ministry” as Solicitor-General and the approval of the sum of #4m for participation at the forthcoming 2017 Bar Conference.

Sessions like this with Ekiti law officers according to the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose is expected to come up every three months.

Nigeria Lawyer