By Onwa Ekor
The Cross River House of Assembly has mulled the decentralisation of probate services in the state.
This, the lawmakers noted, can be achieved through the establishment of probate registries in Ikom and Ogoja for the Central and Northern senatorial districts respectively, in order to improve access to justice and ease the burden on citizens seeking probate-related services.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the need to decentralise probate administration in the state as sponsored by the Member representing Bekwarra State Constituency, Hon Charles Omang.
Leading the debate, Omang argued that the creation of probate registries in the two senatorial districts would bring services closer to the people, reduce delays in the administration of estates and improve efficiency within the judicial system.
According to him,
“A letter of Administration is a legal document issued by a Probate Court authorising a person to manage and distribute the Estate of a deceased person who died without a Will.
“In Cross River, Letters of Administration are processed and issued by the Probate Department of the High Court in Calabar.
“People come from all over the state to process Letters of Administration only in Calabar,” Omang said, maintaining that, “this causes a lot of hardship on Cross Riverians who most times do not have where to sleep and complete the process.”
The lawmaker further noted that the current arrangement which centralises probate services in the probate Department of the High Court in Calabar, poses significant challenges for residents from other senatorial districts who must travel long distances to process Letters of Administration and other estate matters.
Contributing to the debate, Lawmakers noted the financial and logistical difficulties faced by families and beneficiaries in accessing probate services.
They maintained that decentralisation would not only reduce congestion at the existing registry but ensure quicker processing of applications while enhancing public confidence in the justice delivery system.
The Lawmakers also noted the risk involved in travelling from remote communities, citing an instance where a man died in a road crash on his way from the northern senatorial district to Calabar, in a bid to process Letter of Administration for his deceased relative.
The House subsequently resolved to call on the Cross River government, through the Chief Judge of the state, Hon Justice Akon Ikpeme, to take the necessary administrative and legal steps to establish and operationalise probate registries in the three senatorial districts.
They further stressed that the proposed registries would deepen access to justice, promote administrative efficiency and support the timely settlement of estate matters across the state.
