Olisa Agbakoba Outlines Key Challenges For Chief Justice Kekere-Ekun’s Tenure

Olisa Agbakoba Outlines Key Challenges For Chief Justice Kekere-Ekun’s Tenure

Former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) president, Olisa Agbakoba, has urged the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, to prioritize creating a “Speed of Justice” program as her first task to reform the judiciary. Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), emphasized the need for new court rules and procedures to accelerate the justice system….. CONTINUE READING

He highlighted the urgent need to restore public trust in the judiciary, which he said has eroded over time. “The new CJN must work diligently to rebuild public confidence in the judiciary, which has unfortunately declined. A complete overhaul of the court’s operational model is essential. It currently takes up to 20 years for cases to reach the Supreme Court, which discourages investors and the public alike,” Agbakoba noted. He stressed that the first step should be to introduce a Speed of Justice initiative and implement modern procedural rules, moving away from the outdated English legal system inherited nearly a century ago.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Agbakoba also proposed that Nigeria should operate a 24-hour judiciary, allowing the courts to remain open around the clock. “Achieving a modern judiciary doesn’t necessarily require appointing new judges, but enhancing the capacity and productivity of existing ones. Judges should be empowered, through transformational procedural rules, to work 24/7,” he said.

He explained that courts should never close, allowing claimants to file cases at any time, even at midnight. Judges, he added, should have case management powers to expedite proceedings and deliver timely results to court users. Comparing the judiciary to the healthcare system, Agbakoba argued that just as doctors treat patients with measurable outcomes, modern tools and procedural reforms would significantly improve the efficiency of the courts.