Court stops Lagos from stripping judiciary of power over probate registry

TRACKING>>A Lagos High Court has stopped the Lagos State government from taking over the Probate Registry of the High Court from the control of the judiciary.

In a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Babatunde Candide-Johnson, the court held that it would amount to usurpation of the powers of the judicial arm of government for the executive arm to seek to excise the probate division from the management and control of the high court.

He, therefore, issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Lagos State Government from taking over or interfering with the management and administration of the Probate Division of the High Court of Lagos State.

The judgment was delivered sequel to the suit filed at the court by legal luminary and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), in 2015, challenging the decision of the Lagos State Government to take over the administration of the Probate Division of the High Court.

In an affidavit deposed to by the learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he stated that he had been involved in several public interest litigations on behalf of the people of Nigeria, recalling his years of activism as a student leader, as a pro-democracy activist involved in the restoration of the annulled June 12, 1993 election, the struggle to end military rule and his consistent engagement of various governments in respect of certain anti-people policies.

Meanwhile, as part of efforts aimed at upgrading agriculture value-chain and reducing poverty in Lagos, the state government has kicked off Eko City Farmers’ Market that would enable Lagos producers meet with consumers and end users by using innovative development methods to showcase quality market to meet the consumers’ demand for farm produce at affordable prices.

The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, who stated this while addressing journalists in Lagos yesterday, noted that the maiden edition of the market would hold in Lagos next Sunday at the Tafawa Balewa and subsequently hold every last Sunday of every month.

According him, the Eko City Farmers’ Market would go a long way in helping to achieve six of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well, decent work and economic growth and responsible consumption and production.

He also listed some of the benefits of the market to farmers to include provision of the infrastructure to support farmers to create a flourishing market in a trading environment that is well maintained, safe and innovative as well as connecting them to the final end-users thus make shopping an entertaining and educational experience.