ASSESSMENT OF THE RELEVANCE OF THE LEGAL AID COUNCIL TO ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE TO INDIGENT PERSONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The legal aid council was established for every citizen to have free and unhindered access to courts without any inhibition arising out of ignorance or poverty. In the body politic of any country, it is the functions of the government to safeguard the legislate interest of the citizens. This is a fundamental function of state and a right which every individual has. Justice therefore demands that everybody should be equal before the law. It is generally being said that it is one thing to say that everybody is equal before the law and quite another to say that everybody has access to the law courts. In Nigeria access to courts is generally dependent payment of various fees which the indigent may not afford to certain circumstances. The legal aid council with its attendant objectives was actually designed as a stop-gap to address those challenges. The major findings is that access to justice to the indigent clients is very much for affordable. The major recommendations is that there is urgent need for governments to retool the operations of the legal aid council via granting of more financial aid and retraining of its personnel to make it more responsive to the indigent client it is means to serve