The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, has issued a strong directive to judges nationwide to adopt proactive case management strategies in a decisive bid to eradicate chronic delays in the administration of justice and rebuild public confidence in the nation’s judiciary.
​Justice Kekere-Ekun made the call during a high-profile judicial engagement, emphasizing that the era of treating case delays with levity is over. She noted that the persistent backlog of cases has severely dented the public’s trust in the legal system, making swift structural reforms imperative.
​To ensure a more efficient legal process, the CJN outlined that judges must take immediate control of their courtrooms. Judges are expected to abandon passive roles and actively direct the pace of litigation, rather than leaving the timeline solely in the hands of lawyers.
The CJN warned against the indiscriminate granting of adjournments, urging judges to strictly enforce statutory timeframes and penalize deliberate delay tactics by legal practitioners.
The judiciary must increasingly integrate digital tools, such as electronic filing systems and virtual hearings, to streamline administrative bottlenecks. Judges were encouraged to refer appropriate cases to ADR mechanisms to unclog court dockets and fast-track resolutions.
​”The judiciary is the mirror of our democracy, and when justice is delayed, public confidence erodes,” Justice Kekere-Ekun stated.
​She reminded the jurists that a transparent, swift, and reliable legal system is fundamental to socio-economic stability and investor confidence. The CJN concluded by reiterating the National Judicial Council’s (NJC) commitment to monitoring the performance of judicial officers, stressing that accountability will be central to her administration’s agenda.
