the Abuja Airport. Photo: Twitter@NIDCOM
One hundred and seventy-five Nigerians stranded in
Uganda have returned home on Thursday.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) disclosed this in
a tweet on its official handle.
According to the agency, the returnees arrived at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja around 1 pm, Nigerian
time.
“They all tested negative to COVID-19 and will proceed on a
14-day SELF-ISOLATION as mandated by NCDC and PTF on COVID-19,”
NIDCOM said.
BREAKING NEWS: EVACUATION UPDATE:
175 Stranded Nigerians arrive Nnamdi Azikiwe Int’l Airport,
Abuja at about 1305HRS from Uganda, today Thursday 13th of August,
2020 via Galistair. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/Lep4hBFoR7— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) August 13,
2020
NIDCOM had earlier announced the arrival of ninety-four Nigerian
ladies stranded in Lebanon after the video of the girls recently
went viral on social media.
READ ALSO: We Cannot Afford To Let Our Economy
Slide, PTF Tells Business Owners
The agency said the ladies who arrived at the Murtala Mohammed
International Airport in Lagos will undergo a 14-day self-isolation
in line with the guidelines of the Federal Government on
COVID-19.
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Quest For Greener Pastures
On August 1, the National Agency for the Prohibition of
Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said about 5,000 Nigerians are
stranded in Lebanon.
The agency’s Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli confirmed
the figure, saying many Nigerians are being trafficked into the
country with the promise of good, well-paid jobs.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic halted travels across the world,
several nations have been evacuating their nationals stranded in
other countries.
Nigeria had also joined the long list of countries evacuating
its citizens stranded in other nations.
On Wednesday, two hundred and ninety-two Nigerians returned from
the United Arab Emirates, taking the number of evacuees from the
Arab nation to 2,933.
This came a few days after 327 Nigerians returned to the West
African country from the United Kingdom.
As at June 2020, the Federal Government said it had spent N169
million on the evacuation of Nigerians from overseas.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/14/175-nigerians-stranded-in-uganda-return-home/
- Virtual- Procceding: VP Osinbajo wants Purpose-built
Software for Virtual Trail
…With tech innovation, democratization of law and justice now on
fast-track”
Technology and the innovations it entail has defined a new way
of life, taking technology away from the realms of luxury into the
arena of everyday endeavours whether in the professions or in
matters of lifestyle generally.
In fact, the advance of technology is now fast-tracking the
democratization of law and justice in Nigeria, according to Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in his keynote at the
Virtual Law Pavilion Technology Conference with the theme “A New
Paradigm in Justice Delivery”. Also at the event, the Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed; the President of the
Nigerian Bar Association, Paul Usoro, SAN, and others addressed the
theme of the 2020 Legal Tech Conference.
According to him, “No one believed the day would come when the
Supreme Court would, as it has now done, endorse Virtual Court
Proceedings. Or that the day will come when e-filing of court
processes will be considered medically safer than physical filing
of court processes.
“Today, even judges, especially older ones, will of course
prefer virtual processes to in-person proceedings. Technology and
the fourth industrial revolution, are no longer luxuries but they
are the inevitable substructure of our new way of life.
“For the administration of justice system, change has surely
come and I am personally excited to see how easily our entire
judicial system is willingly adapting to innovation.”
Speaking further on the impact of technology, the Vice President
said with technology and innovation, the democratization of law and
justice is now on fast-track.
According to him, “Tech companies must now innovate even more.
We must now have purpose-built virtual-proceedings software that
take into account the various needs of trials and other court
proceedings.
“There will be opportunities for retraining of judicial
personnel, lawyers, and paralegal staff, the new normal calls for
new skills and new ways of doing old things and doing away with
many old habits.”
On the need for the entirety of Nigeria’s justice sector to
embrace “the new normal”, the Vice President said though no one had
predicted that a time would come when authorities would endorse
virtual court proceedings, the disruptions caused by the COVID-19
pandemic has necessitated the adoption of technology for all court
processes.
Referring to the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the event, the Vice
President noted that “already, my Lord, the Chief Justice has set
the example of adaptation to the new paradigm.”
Prof. Osinbajo urged lawyers and stakeholders in the justice
sector to be prepared for the times ahead by finding alternative
and better ways of delivering legal and associated services.
He said “the next few years will see even more changes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a bigger role in our court
systems, I am told that Law Pavilion is already pioneering an
AI-Powered-Speech-to-Text- Transcription System to replace writing
in long hand and even the traditional slow stenographic
recording.
“There is also the AI-Powered Document Review System that helps
judges quickly extract authorities and laws cited in any legal
documents, outlines and analyses the principles relied upon
automatically, in seconds. This is aside from the comprehensive
court proceedings software that they have now perfected.”
Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “…nothing can ever be the same
again. Legal practice is also in a flux. Artificial Intelligence
will make research a million times faster, the lawyer may no longer
be required for several categories of legal advice.
“There are already apps updated to the latest positions in
legislation and case law. The lawyer must become a
multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking tech savvy person of affairs,”
recalling a description he gave to students of law at a recent
function.
He restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to
support technology companies to drive the gradual shift of systems,
in the country, to the ‘new normal’.
In his contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice
Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed said the judiciary which plays a crucial
role in the economic development of Nigeria, must embrace changes
within the environment so that it will continue to remain relevant
in the scheme of things.
The Legal Tech Conference is organized by the Law Pavilion in
partnership with TELNET Nigeria Ltd. The conference is a 2-day
virtual event featuring other speakers including Supreme Court
Justice, Olukayode Ariwoola; Ondo State Chief Judge, Olarenwaju
Olutoyin Akeredolu; Borno State Chief Judge, Kashima Zannah; Ekiti
State Attorney General and Justice Commissioner, Olawale Fapohunda;
and Mr Dapo Akinosun, Partner, SimmonsCooper, amongst others..
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media &
Publicity
Office of the Vice President
13th August, 2020