LEGAL AID IN NIGERIA: USING NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS PUBLIC DEFENDERS TO EXPAND THE SERVICES OF THE LEGAL AID COUNCIL

Abstract

At the National Consultative Forum on Transforming the Administration of Justice System in Nigeria, convened by the Federal Minister of Justice and the Federal Attorney-General in November 2001, it was decided to draft a National Action Plan on Justice Sector Reform in Nigeria and to produce a Justice Vision document. The Ministry of Justice and the Attorney-General's office identified the need to examine ways of (a) upholding the Constitution and the rule of law; (b) promoting justice, fairness and human dignity; and (c) incorporating and expanding community participation in the administration of justice. The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria could contribute to this process by establishing a public defender network using law graduates in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It may be possible to use the NYSC scheme to expand dramatically the current level of legal aid in Nigeria by employing the services of NYSC law graduates more extensively as public defenders. In order to consider the feasibility of such a programme the following factors will be considered: (i) the availability of lawyers and law graduates; (ii) the duties imposed by the Nigerian Constitution; (iii) the function of the Legal Aid Council; (iv) the operation of the Legal Aid Council; (v) the provision of legal aid services by the Legal Aid Council; and (vi) the cost of establishing a structured NYSC public defender programme.