Oyo Chief Judge inaugurates Multi-Door Court governing board

The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, on Wednesday inaugurated the governing board of the Oyo State Multi-Door Court (OYSMDC), urging the members to discharge their duty diligently. Abimbola said at the event in Ibadan that he was confident of the calibre and wealth of experience of the chosen members, in relation to the duty given to them. The Chief Judge said that the judiciary in the state was taking another step into a very important aspect of judicial adjudication with respect to the operation of multi-door court house. He said multi-door court is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism, where litigants can settle their dispute through mediation, conciliation, negotiation and arbitration. “The commencement of the operation of multi-door court in the state in 2018 has tremendously reduced congestion in both High court and Magistrates court in the state. “The multi-door court has assisted Oyo State judiciary a lot in dispute resolution and we have been able to resolve and close 86 cases out of the 164 cases pending in the multi-door court,” he said. The Chief Judge said 11 cases had been returned to the Oyo State High Court. According to him, the multi-door-court has been assisting to settle disputes expeditiously. He said the establishment of multi-door court was not to make it an appendage of the judiciary, but to make it function independently, which was why there was a law backing it. Abimbola said for the proper functioning of the muilti-door court, certain parameters like the composition of the governing board was very essential. He said the board would ensure that the muilti-door court functions efficiently and is affordable to the litigants. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the board is chaired by Retired Justice Lambe Arasi,with eight others as members. The members include Justice Ladiran Akintola, Justice Adenike Adeoyo, Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Seun Abimbola, and Mr Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN). Others are Mrs Funmi Roboth, Mr Adewale Adesina, Mr Kehinde Aina and Mrs E. Gade. In his response, Chairman of the board, Arasi, thanked the Chief Judge for considering them fit for the task, promising not to disappoint or to misuse the opportunity given to them.