KATSINA 鈥 Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has launched a legal reform initiative to consolidate, harmonize, and digitize all laws of Katsina State.
Radda in his remarks at the State Government House, praised the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Fadila Muhammad Dikko, for spearheading the reform process alongside the State House of Assembly, Chief Judge, and other stakeholders.
鈥淭his is a very important day for Katsina State. We must appreciate the Ministry of Justice鈥檚 leadership in pushing for this much-needed reform. Currently, we have disjointed amendments across various years Laws of 2020, 2022, and 2023 that are not unified, creating confusion and allowing selective interpretations,鈥 the Governor declared.
The Governor emphasized that consolidating these laws into a single digital framework will enhance transparency, improve access to justice, and reduce time and costs.
鈥淲ith our laws digitized and hosted online, anyone, investors, lawyers, public servants, citizens, and researchers can access and apply them with ease. This innovation will strengthen our legal environment and institutions and drive foreign direct investment to the state,鈥 the he explained.
Governor Radda also commended Dr. Sirajo Yakubu Batagarawa, Principal Partner of the Law firm, Sirajo Yakubu & Co. for representing the state in China and accepting a prestigious award on behalf of the administration, and encouraging swift execution of the legal reform assignment.
The state Attorney General, Barr. Fadila Muhammad Dikko, on her part, said this is the first time in Katsina history that the state is consolidating and updating all laws at once. This reform will remove archaic statutes and create a modern legal foundation for development.
During the event, the Governor ceremonially signed several newly passed bills into law, including, the Scrap Law, regulating scrap activities in the state, the Water Users Association Bill, aligning with WASH initiatives, amendments to the Katsina State Sharia Commission Law and amendments to the Bureau of Public Procurement Law.
Similarly, the ceremony, also featured the signing of two key agreements, the consultancy agreement between Katsina State and Sirajo Yakubu & Co for the reform of the Laws of Katsina State, which will lead to publishing the laws in both hardcopy and electronic format.
鈥淭he second agreement is for the publishing of the Laws in hardcopy and electronic format by the reputable law publisher, LexisNexis鈥.
Dr Yakubu Sirajo, the legal luminary, in his contributions, noted that the LexisNexis contract covers hosting of the reformed laws in electronic format for fifteen years at no extra cost, while new laws will be enacted, it is possible that existing laws will be amended.
鈥淟exisNexis will keep on updating the laws in electronic form, so that they remain consolidated at any given time鈥, he concluded.