Lawyer sets agenda for judiciary in new legal year

As Nigerian courts prepare to embark on annual long vacation, a constitutional lawyer, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, has called for more decisiveness in their management.

Federal courts are billed to begin annual long vacation on July 24.

The courts will resume on Sept. 18 for the 2024/2024 Legal Year.

According to Ataene, there is need for an improved performance of the judiciary in the coming legal year.

He said that judiciary, in the new legal year must be characterised by speedy justice administration.

“This being an election year, it was expected that challenges would be enormous, but sadly, the judiciary didn’t appear equipped enough to deal with the challenges.

“How do you explain that months after the elections, cases that arose therefrom are still being adjudicated upon,” he said

The lawyer said that election petitions ought to be treated with urgency.

“Electronic filing of cases has posed the greatest challenge and is still causing a major crisis.

“A case I filed in Lagos took four months to be assigned, and to imagine that the high courts are vacating and the case is already adjourned until October, means I must renew the writ after its expiration.

“This is not only frustrating but debilitating,” he said.

On the way forward, he said that the problems could be tackled by decisiveness of the management of courts in all jurisdictions.

“Appointments of judicial officers should be on the basis of contribution to each state and the level of legal practice exhibited by such a person, no matter where he comes from.

“The bottom line is that such a judicial officer must have practised creditably for 10 years and above in that state,” he said.

Ataene advised that the chief justice of Nigeria could appoint senior advocates of Nigeria and professors of law to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

“This will enrich our legal system.

“Finally, I strongly recommend decorum of an unimpeachable level for our judicial officers.

“Seasoned hands are required to enliven the judicial system across board,” he said.

He urged judicial officers to avoid conflicts, adding that lawyers must treat the court with respect at all times