The Hon. President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Justice Benedict Kanyip, PhD, OFR, stated on Tuesday that the government frequently loses cases in the Industrial Court due to counsel incompetence.
Justice Kanyip made this remark at the opening of a training session on Industrial Court proceedings for State Counsel from the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.
He expressed concern over the fact that many government lawyers appear in court unprepared and lack awareness of recent developments in labor law. While the federal government has lamented its challenges in winning labor disputes, labor unions have accused the court of bias in favor of the government. Justice Kanyip reassured that the court remains committed to delivering justice in line with the rule of law.
He highlighted that many state counsel mistakenly assume that the Industrial Court follows the same procedural guidelines as the Federal High Court, urging them to study labor law principles closely, especially noting that Section 254 of the Constitution is transformative for labor jurisprudence.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, declared the training open, emphasizing its purpose to build the capacity of Ministry of Justice lawyers in resolving industrial disputes, either through litigation or mediation as provided by the Industrial Court.
The AGF remarked that the Industrial Court, as a specialized court in labor law, employment matters, and trade unions, plays a crucial role in balancing employer and employee rights and supporting the country’s socio-industrial stability and economic growth.
“As an administration, we will continue to invest in capacity development initiatives for our law officers in all specialized areas of public law to enhance the quality of government prosecution and defense, meeting the demands of good governance,” he stated.
