GOVERNOR JUFFA COMMITTED TO STRENGTHEN VILLAGE COURT SYSTEMS

NORTHERN Governor Hon. Gary Juffa today met with the Village Court Coordinator Mr David Iagoro to address pressing
challenge facing the provinces village court system.

During the meeting, Governor Juffa recommitted the Oro Provincial Government to supporting village courts with a sharp focus on infrastructure development and capacity building.

Present at the meeting were Acting Provincial Administrator Roger Irurapa, Jnr, Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector Charles Winuan, and Deputy Governor Charles Safitoa.

The meeting revealed that out of the 49 village courts across the province, only seven of the 11 court officials per zone are directly funded through the National Government’s Alesco Payroll system while the remaining four officials from each of the 49 zones continue to deliver vital village court services diligently but have gone without remuneration for an extended period.

“It is unacceptable that those working at the frontline of justice in our communities are left unpaid for long period, Governor Juffa said.

“My government will not stand by while our village courts official serve without basic dignity of a salary.”

Mr Iagoro informed the Governor that a submission addressing this issue was originally made by his office in 2020 through former provincial administrator Trevor Mage, but little to no attention was given to the matter.

He expressed extreme delight that despite the long delay since the 2020 submission, village court services were finally receiving the recognition they deserved from the political hierarchy.

Acting provincial administrator Mr Roger Irurapa Jnr assured officials that he would intervene and determine why attention was not given to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and submission for the activation of the provincial
village courts committee.

According to recent findings, Oro province is among the lowest ranking in the establishment of the provincial village court committee’s activation.

However, Mr Irurapa assured both Governor Juffa and the people of Oro that this matter is now being given the utmost priority.

Mr Irurapa further stated that village court services have for over six decades, served a key law and order function, and will continue to do so now that there is new political intervention from the head of the province.

In response, Governor Juffa assured the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) and all Oro village court officials that he would immediately direct a fact-finding mission to rectify the remuneration administrative oversight.

He pledged to the people of Oro that his government remains fully committee to revitalizing village court services across all 49 court zones.

Despite very limited provincial funding, Governor Juffa reiterated that his administration would remain dedicated to resolving not only the remuneration issue but also other longstanding challenges, particularly in infrastructure and
capacity building.

Governor Juffa also commended Mr Iagoro for his tireless leadership in managing Oro’s village court services, often without proper office space or essential work tools needed to empower frontline justice officials.

“Mr Iagoro and his team are doing remarkable work under extreme difficult circumstances. They deserve our full support,” Governor Juffa said.

Further announcements on the fact-finding mission and subsequence remedial actions are expected in the coming weeks.