To improve the enforcement of fundamental rights in Nigeria, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, has called for the amendment of section 46(1) of the Constitution to give jurisdiction to Magistrates’ Court to hear and determine fundamental rights cases.
Delivering a paper titled: Enforcement of Human Rights Under the FREP Rules; Emerging Issues at the Faculty of Law, Baze, University in Abuja on Tuesday, Onoja who was a guest lecturer pointed out that to improve access to justice, institutions like the National Human Rights Commission and Public Defender bodies like Legal Aid Council of Nigeria must be empowered.
According to the Senior Advocate, “making the filing of fundamental rights free of filing fees,
education and enlightenment of the people on their fundamental rights through the media, workshops, and training for lawyers”will all go a long way to improving access to justice in Nigeria.
The Senior Advocate also donated several copies of his book— Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure Rules), 2009 to the faculty and every student that attended the lecture. The book which costs N50,000 (fifty thousand naira) per set came in two volumes.
