The third annual National Judicial Council (NJC) Performance Review Conference on Judges was held on Tuesday in Abuja, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. At the event, the CJN expressed serious concerns over the slow disposal of court cases and its impact on public confidence in the judiciary.
The alarming finding is that as of the first quarter of 2024, there were a total of 243,253 cases pending before the country’s superior courts, excluding the Supreme Court. These cases included 199,747 civil cases and 43,506 criminal cases, highlighting a serious backlog of cases.
The CJN noted that judges had not delivered a single decision in an entire quarter, a situation she described as unacceptable. To improve judicial efficiency, she stressed the importance of using technologies and innovations in case management, such as digital case management systems, virtual courtrooms and online filings.
She also advocated for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration to ease the workload of the courts. According to the CJN, it is imperative to take immediate steps to address this situation and prevent justice delayed from turning into justice denied.
She particularly stressed that speedy and efficient resolution of cases is essential to maintain public confidence in the judicial system. To this end, she strongly encouraged judicial officers to take full advantage of digital tools to improve their performance and expedite the processing of cases.
In conclusion, the CJN stressed that eliminating the backlog of cases is a top priority to ensure access to fair and speedy justice for all citizens. She called on the entire judicial community to collectively engage in this effort to restore public confidence and strengthen the integrity of the Nigerian judicial system.