….As Reps Laud Tribunal On Simplified Business Rules
The Chairman of the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST), Amos Azi, hinted today that the Tribunal had entered into partnership with the National Judicial Council (NJC) for its on-boarding into an E-filing portal that will enhance the Tribunal’s case management.
Azi, who made this disclosure when he hosted members of the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market in his office, maintained that with E-filling it would be easier for the Tribunal’s cases to be filled from anywhere in the world, thereby making the process of case filling less cumbersome and more cost effective.
The chairman appealed to lawmakers to ensure that the Act establishing the IST is amended in such a way that only lawyers with cognate experience in the Capital Market are appointed serve both as Head, and Registrar of the Tribunal.
Speaking during the lawmakers’ visit, the committee’s Chairman, Hon. Solomon Bob, commended the leadership and management of the Tribunal, noting that the simplified rules of business adopted by the Tribunal is what the other courts in the country should emulate.
This is even as he said that the ability of the Tribunal to dispense Justice within the 90 days stipulated time-frame is a big advantage for the ease of doing business in the country.
The committee members, who decried the poor facilities where the Tribunal operates from as not befitting in view of its roles, promised to ensure that a befitting accommodation is allocated to the Tribunal within the Federal Capital Territory by the FCT administration.
In a related development, the Chairman, Judicial Information Technology Policy Committee (JITPCO), Hon. Kashim Zannah, has described the Investments and Securities Tribunal as a serious organisation that can use ICT as a game changer, especially in the area of E-Filling of cases at the Tribunal.
Zannah, who is also the Chief Justice of Borno State, made this remark when the IST Chairman, paid a courtesy visit to him in Abuja, stressing the need for the training of staff as the technology used in courts are specialised hence the need for sound training.
He promised that his organisation would be on the lookout for training that can be of benefit to IST staff in order to attain mastery that would always give the Tribunal an edge.
In his response the Chairman said IST’s integration into this state of the art platform would not only streamline the Tribunal’s processes but also significantly reduce the operational costs associated with the traditional case management systems.
He further described the move as a clear demonstration of foresight and efficiency that will serve for many years to come emphasising that the successful implementation of the E- filling system has set the stage for greater cooperation between the IST and the judiciary that would ultimately improve service delivery to all stakeholders in the Capital Market
