Mrakpor Steps Up Practice Standard For Staff

The Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor said the Committee set up to audit case files and assess the general performance of staff was part of efforts to raise the quality and standard of practice in the Ministry.

Mr Mrakpor who was speaking Wednesday while receiving the report of the 5-Man Committee headed by the Acting Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General of the State, Mr. Ben Odigwe, in the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Asaba.

While receiving the Committee’s report contained in two volumes, the Attorney-General disclosed that the main thrust of the exercise was to ascertain the quality of practice, identify the administrative capacity of the Zonal Offices of the Ministry as well as address the issue of truancy and indolence amongst staff.

The Attorney-General who commended the Committee for the conclusion of phase I of its assignment, promised to undertake a comprehensive study of the report, was emphatic on his resolve to implement its recommendations for the overall good of the Ministry.

While emphasizing the need for staff to justify their salaries, the Justice Commissioner said the era of lassitude and inefficiency by some staff was over.

On phase II of the Committee’s assignment which include audit of case files of all Legal Officers in the Headquarters Office and the assessment of the general performance of staff in non-legal departments, the Attorney-General gave the Committee two weeks to submit its finding.

With the domestication of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act which was assented to by the Governor of the State Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday, the Attorney-General charged legal officers to brace up for the challenge ahead and live up to its expectation as according to him, with the new law, the ministry is now time bound to turn in legal opinions within 30 days.

Earlier, the Acting Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General of the State, Mr. Ben Odigwe, who is Chairman of the Committee while presenting his report, thanked the Attorney-General for the exercise which was made possible by the visionary thinking of the Attorney-General to move the Ministry forward.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, the team had the mandate to undertake a tour of all the Zonal Offices of the Ministry with the following terms of reference, assessment of the working conditions and infrastructure, evaluate staff disposition, audit all case files as presented by legal officers in each zone, assess the general performance of the staff as well as needs assessment of the zones.

Mr. Odigwe said the team successfully carried out its assignment and has made far reaching recommendations that when implemented, will positively reposition the Ministry for better service delivery.

Other members of the 5-Man Committee include the Director of Civil Litigations, Mr. Sunday Monye, Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Ernest Edomwonyi, Director of Administration, Mr. Sunny Gbetsere and Mr. Luis Umuze, a Senior State Counsel who served as Secretary of the Committee.