By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

The Nigerian Judiciary, despite its pivotal role in entrenching the rule of law and administering justice, remains plagued by significant challenges.

These challenges encompass court backlogs, systemic inefficiencies, corruption, and limited access to justice, particularly for rural populations.

Protracted delays—manifesting in cases lingering for years, and sometimes decades, before resolution—have undoubtedly bred widespread public dissatisfaction, threatening to erode trust in the judiciary.

One of the many factors responsible for the snail’s pace of justice administration in the country is the continued reliance on analogue systems.

The physical infrastructure of many courts across the country is not only outdated but also woefully inadequate to meet the demands of a modern justice ecosystem.

Statistically, over 90 per cent of judges in the country still take records of proceedings in their courts in longhand.

It is not unusual for a judge to pause an ongoing case midway to seek the replacement of a non-flowing pen or a writing pad.

“Please take it slow; I am writing. Or don’t you want me to capture everything you are telling the court?” is a common expression that echoes from the bench in several superior courts of record in the country, including the Supreme Court.

From overcrowded courtrooms to missing case files, the judiciary faces operational hurdles that render timely justice a herculean task.
These problems are hardly novel. Over the years, many heads of courts have acknowledged that as technology rapidly transforms industries and sectors worldwide, the legal system must explore digital solutions to enhance its efficiency and accessibility.
A former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, admitted on April 16, 2018, that the country’s rapidly growing population has placed the judiciary under pressure.
He urged judges to embrace technology, insisting it was the only way to meet the enormous challenges of 21st-century dispute resolution.
“We are faced with an ever-present clamour and demand for speedy, affordable and efficient administration of justice. Our ability to respond to the growing demand for judicial services goes a long way in determining our credibility and integrity.
“You will agree with me that we must continuously rise to the occasion in order to justify public confidence reposed in the Judiciary,” Justice Onnoghen, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Refresher Course for Magistrates, added.
He noted that globally, technology has transformed the manner in which activities are carried out in courts such as service of court processes, record keeping and retrieval of data, and other operations.
“I therefore urge you to embrace technology in discharging your judicial responsibilities within the ambit of the law.
“I urge you to ensure that you are proficient in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Indeed, I must inform you that ICT proficiency will become a veritable prerequisite for career advancement within our Judiciary in the not-too-distant future.
“Therefore, it will be in your own interest to key into these reforms, in order not to be left behind like a fossil, while the rest of the Judiciary makes the evolutionary leap into an automated Judiciary,” he enthused.
Onnoghen, as a CJN, appeared to have pushed for full automation of the court system, before he was unceremoniously booted out of office by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
On May 22, 2017, he advocated modernizing judicial practice and procedure across the country’s courts through the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
“For the Nigerian Judiciary to remain the hope of every man, we must be dynamic by keeping in tune with modern techniques in the administration of law and justice.
“The use and effect of ICT in the modern world has come to stay,” he had insisted.
Credit must also be given to Justice Onnoghen’s predecessors, who had identified the need for holistic judicial reforms that would lay the foundation for the eventual automation of court systems.
In November 2014, the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, commissioned a $20 million court automation project that included two data centres at the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Justice Mukhtar stressed that the project would improve efficiency, access to justice, and public trust and confidence.
“What we are witnessing today is the solid foundation for tomorrow’s fully automated court. Indeed, this aligns with the vision of transforming the current predominantly manual court processes—and their attendant weaknesses—into technological solutions tailor-made for the Nigerian Judiciary.
“On a recent visit to South Korea, I learned that the judiciary there had painstakingly achieved its present level of technological excellence over about thirty years, with continuous improvements.
“This illustrates that it takes time, patience, and determination to do things well, and that initial successes should not lead to indolence. Rather, they should serve as an impetus to strive for improvement and sustainability.
“However, with the support of all stakeholders and partners, as well as a resolve to deliver nothing less than the best, I believe we shall not take thirty years to give the good people of Nigeria the kind of justice system they deserve—one that is simple, fast, and effective,” she stated during the ceremony.
The then Chief Judge of Borno State, Justice Kassim Zannah, who was Chairman of the Judicial Information Technology Policy Committee (JITPO-COM), hoped the Nigerian Judiciary Court Automation Project would ease the burden of advocacy and adjudication in the country.
He noted that, owing to concerns over the slow and tedious dispensation of justice and the enormous backlog of cases, former CJN Justice Dahiru Musdapher inaugurated JITPO-COM on 30 January 2012 with a mandate to formulate and implement a comprehensive information technology policy for the Nigerian Judiciary.
“The Judiciary, if it is to discharge its responsibilities satisfactorily, must reduce the backlog of cases, increase transparency, and enhance our courts’ performance. It is well nigh impossible in this day and age—and with our size and population—to succeed through paper-based and manual processes.
“Our policy aims at an integrated system for the entire Nigerian Judiciary, such that cases may seamlessly move from the trial court to the apex court. However, working within budgetary constraints and competing demands, a key consideration remains value for money.
“We are indeed fortunate to be working with partners that share our vision and are willing to put their money where their mouths are. Our key consulting partner, the National Centre for State Courts, has granted the Nigerian Judiciary ownership and proprietary rights to a commercial-grade court case management system with an estimated value of over $20 million, as well as associated software end-user licenses valued at approximately $3,500 per person, for a nominal fee of $200.
“One need not have a PhD in mathematics to calculate how much the Nigerian Judiciary has saved from this gesture,” Justice Zannah stated.
Meanwhile, more than 12 years later, it appears that the enthusiasm has not translated into much pragmatic action.
Full implementation of the Judicial Information Technology Policy appears almost impracticable in view of infrastructural deficits across the various rungs of courts in the country.
A dearth of ideas may not be the problem. Successive judicial leaderships have complained about the paucity of funds, notwithstanding the smokescreen of financial autonomy that still leaves the judiciary going cap-in-hand to the executive arm of government for its fiduciary needs.
When the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS) was introduced at the Supreme Court as early as 2012, it was welcomed as a breath of fresh air.
The system later underwent user acceptance testing at the Court of Appeal and other pilot courts.
At the time, the NCMS generated so much international interest that chief justices from the Caribbean visited Nigeria, aiming to replicate the system in their respective jurisdictions.
The Nigerian Legal Email System (NILES) Project, which provides a secure means of communication between the Supreme Court and Lawyers for sending Hearing Notices and generation of Proof of Service, was also introduced.
Just months after it was introduced, over 25,000 legal practitioners in the country successfully registered.
Hopes were high that these innovations would gear the nation’s judiciary toward a paperless adjudication system.
Globally, countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore have adopted digital courts, harnessing technology to address the inherent limitations of traditional systems.
The COVID-19 pandemic—which disrupted judicial operations worldwide—further accelerated the shift, enabling courts to function remotely.
With the pandemic forcing all the courtrooms to be shut, the judiciary rose to the challenge through the issuance of practice directions that paved the way for remote hearing of cases, electronic filing of court processes, service of hearing notices via email addresses and mobile telephone numbers of counsel, as well as e-payment of filing fees with relevant devices installed.
The innovations ensured that the wheels of justice continued to move unhindered while the world stayed indoors.
With the pandemic over, the gains recorded appeared to be fizzling out gradually.
While flagging off the 2025/2026 legal year of the Supreme Court, the incumbent CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said she had, upon her assumption of office, constituted a Special Committee to recommend wide-ranging innovations to restructure and sanitize the Litigation Department of the apex court and make court processes more accessible and less cumbersome.

According to her, acting on the recommendations received, a Court Records Processing Unit was created by merging the Process, Records, and File Units.
“This has drastically reduced incidents of missing files. A Central Information Unit was subsequently established to provide lawyers and litigants with quick, convenient access to case details.
“A Case Continuation Unit has also been created to ensure timely handling of adjourned matters.
“A robust tracking system now monitors file movement, virtually eradicating file losses.
“Additional reforms include digitization of the Receiving and Data Entry Units and a reorganization of the Registry to promote transparency; digitization of the Exhibits and Judgments Pasting Unit for the preservation of judicial records and enabling easy retrieval of past judgments; and creation of a Disposal Unit to archive concluded cases and transfer them to the National Archives.
“We have achieved full integration of the Court’s Enrolment Unit with the Nigerian Law School through an online platform for new lawyers. These measures have yielded positive results.
“In a bid to modernize service delivery and enhance operational efficiency, the Notary Public Unit of the Supreme Court has transitioned from a manual, paper-based application process to a more streamlined online application system.
“The new platform provides a faster, more convenient, and user-friendly experience, unlike the previous manual system where applicants were required to submit documents physically or via email—which often resulted in delays, errors in data entry, and limited tracking capabilities.
“We have equally introduced the Electronic Notary Register (ENR) as the Supreme Court’s official digital register for all certified notaries in Nigeria, in compliance with the Notaries Public Act, 2023.
“This will serve as a centralized and secure database that ensures only qualified and duly registered notaries are recognized to perform notary services.
“The register offers greater accuracy, security, and accessibility while maintaining compliance with applicable legal standards.
“It also provides a modern approach to recordkeeping that encourages transparency, efficiency, and accountability.
“Evidently, we are currently undergoing a transformative digital revolution with the progressive adoption of the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS), an official nationwide platform meticulously developed under the discerning guidance of the NJC.
“This sophisticated system is designed to digitize the entire spectrum of case handling, thereby facilitating the seamless and instantaneous transmission of files from the Litigation Department of a particular state—for instance, to the Chief Judge for judicious assignment to the appropriate judges.
“This monumental undertaking involves the comprehensive uploading of all existing backlog cases within the respective High Courts into the NCMS—a strategic move to significantly curtail physical interactions and mitigate the pervasive issue of procedural delays that have historically plagued the judicial process.
“At the Supreme Court, we are transitioning from traditional manual filing processes to a comprehensive e-filing system fully integrated with the NCMS.
“As part of this reform, a dedicated module is being developed to enable lawyers to upload backlog documents for existing appeals directly through the NCMS portal.
“Access will be obtained via a simple online case access request, subject to immediate review and approval by the designated Electronic Litigation Registrar (eLRP).
“This digital integration will significantly enhance the Court’s capacity to retrieve, track, and manage every aspect of an appeal, from hearing to final disposition.
“To guide stakeholders, a Practice Direction outlining the onboarding process and application usage will be issued in due course ahead of the official launch.
“These technological advancements are crucial for modernizing the judiciary and ensuring that it remains relevant in the 21st century,” the CJN added.
As a follow-up to these initiatives, the Federal High Court recently announced April 24 as the final date for the manual filing of new cases in its Lagos Division.
The court notified legal practitioners and litigants that after the slated date, “all new filings must be conducted exclusively through the e-filing platform.”
It stressed that lawyers are required to obtain their Legal Mail accounts before the “go-live date,” adding that the electronic filing (e-filing) platform will become operational with effect from April 27.
However, as President Bola Tinubu pointed out on November 17, 2025, during the opening session of the All Nigerian Judges Conference of the Superior Courts, every digital effort put in by the judiciary must be targeted towards efficiency and ease of access to justice.
“Our courts must no longer be places where cases languish for years; they must become beacons of efficiency, where disputes are resolved swiftly, and where litigants depart with renewed confidence in the rule of law.
“The modernisation of judicial infrastructure remains a central priority. Technology is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity. The digitisation of court processes, the adoption of integrated case management systems, and the provision of secure and reliable judicial facilities will receive sustained attention from this administration.
“A digital, transparent judiciary will not only improve efficiency but will also deepen accountability and public trust. We should not leave any of our courts behind in this transformation,” President Tinubu stated.
The digital evolution of the judiciary may be slow, but what is evident is the steady push for improvement.

Source: Vanguard News