Oyo to establish Office of Public Defender

Governor Seyi Makinde has sent an Executive Bill to the state House of Assembly, proposing the establishment of the Office of the Public Defender.

Makinde made the disclosure while declaring open the 2021 Annual Conference of Nigerian Bar Association – Section on Public Interest and Development Law NBA-SPIDEL in Ibadan.

The governor asserted that his administration had been acting in defence of public interest and making legal aid available to indigent residents of the state.

He said the gesture had further guaranteed the rights of citizens of Oyo state “and delivers on our core mandate on justice reforms.”

The governor, while speaking on the theme of the conference; – ‘The Role of Public Interest in Governance in Nigeria,’ observed that everyone in the country wanted good governance.

“But the methods of achieving it seem to keep eluding us. When it comes to the relationship between public interest and governance, things get even trickier.

“For example, getting the balance right regarding availability of information in the public interest and classified information that should not be in the public domain.

“We are living in an age where people are demanding more from those in authority. Citizens are calling for greater transparency and accountability and they are demanding more inclusiveness.

“I hope that we will have moved several steps closer to finding that balance at the end of your deliberations here during the conference,” he said.