- Akaraiwe, SAN, Advocates for appointments of more judges, on a ratio of 50 cases per judge in a year
Lagos State Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday revealed that between 2023 and 2024, 38 judges were appointed by his government to enhance the speedy dispensation of justice in the state.
Speaking at the special thanksgiving service for the opening of the 2024/2025, new legal year of the Lagos State Judiciary held at the Cathedral Church of Christ in Marina, Sanwo-Olu who was represented by his wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, stated that his administration will continue to support the judiciary.
The Governor reaffirmed the government’s dedication to ensuring that the judiciary remains independent, well-resourced, and capable of delivering impartial justice.
Commended the judiciary for its efforts in enhancing justice delivery through reforms and infrastructural improvements, he used the occasion to highlight his administration’s key achievements, including the digitalisation of court processes, judicial appointments, and training programmes for judges.
“The construction of new court complexes and the renovation of existing judicial infrastructure have created a more conducive environment for the dispensation of justice,” the governor stated.
He particularly lauded the success of the judiciary’s e-filing systems, noting that these digital reforms have helped to reduce delays in case filings, ensuring quicker and more efficient justice delivery.
“I am particularly proud of the digitalisation of the judiciary’s filing processes, which has significantly reduced delays in filing cases,” Sanwo-Olu added.
He stressed that these reforms are part of a broader effort to make the Lagos judiciary a model of efficiency and a beacon of hope for all citizens.
“Our judicial officers have fully embraced these innovations while remaining firmly committed to the timeless values of fairness, equity, and justice,” he remarked.
In line with the commitment to improving the efficiency of the judiciary, Sanwo-Olu acknowledged the steady increase in the number of judges within the state; pointing out that, in 2023, Lagos State appointed 25 new judges, with an additional 13 judges added by May 2024.
“To maintain efficiency in the swift administration of justice, the judiciary has steadily increased the number of judges. In 2023, 25 judges were appointed, followed by an additional 13 in May 2024.
“As we move forward into the new legal year, I extend my warmest wishes for a successful 2024 and 2025 of continued progress, reform, and justice for all.
“The vital role you play in interpreting our law, adjudicating civil and criminal matters, and providing Mechanisms for alternative dispute resolution are immensely instrumental in achieving an effective justice delivery,” he said.
Earlier in his sermon, the Diocesan Bishop of the cathedral, Rt. Revd. Ifedola Okupevi, urged judges to refrain from being partial, or bribery in order to pervert the cause of justice.
The bishop said: ” The judiciary is the hope of the citizens in Nigeria, both rich and poor because justice delayed is justice denied.
“We have come here today to rejoice and thank God for the new legal year but if you take bribe and do not treat people fairly, it will distort the prosperity of our land because the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.
“Bribery will not allow one to see the truth. The point is that one cannot take a bribe and be impartial.
“As you give judgment, those that are right, give them the right judgment and those that are wrong, tell them that they are wrong.
“As Christian judge, lawyers, do not pervert justice because the children of Eli did so and died on the same day,” he warned.
In an interview with Law & Society, an ex-1st Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeazor Akaraiwe, SAN, advocated for more judges and courtrooms to tackle the perennial problem of overloaded dockets and abortion of justice occasioned by the snail-paced justice system.
“We need to have a judicial policy that judges or magistrates should not have more than 50 cases in his / her docket in a given year. This is to enable day-to-day trials, and therefore, soon a conclusion of cases. Nigerian lawyers and judexes do not know that adjournments of one, two, three months during hearing are an aberration.
“Secondly, the judicial policy should insist on day-to-day trial of all cases. When cases are filed, judges may fix hearing against 6 or 12 months’ time, and thereafter, hear those cases daily until the conclusion. Adjournments should not be entertained.
“Thirdly, the judicial policy should ensure that when judges’ dockets begin to go beyond 50 cases in a year, new judges are appointed. I still cannot get over the 60-court complex we saw in Vancouver, Canada in 2010, when some of us took a break from the 2010 IBA Conference to visit their courts.
“We wondered if the 60-court complex was for the entire Province of British Columbia, and the court administrator said ‘No, Victoria City, the capital next door had a similar court complex!’ Directly opposite this court complex was a similar-sized magistrates’ court complex!
“My drift? Deal with causes of delay, beginning with infrastructural – electronic recording of hearings as opposed to longhand recording with the necessary electricity infrastructure put in place by policy; appointments of many more judges, on a ratio of 50 cases per judge in a given year, with a disciplinary mechanism to ensure that those who cannot conclude 50 cases in a year are shown the way out.”
