The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has assured Nigerians that significant progress is being made to restore public confidence in the judiciary through reforms, transparency, and accountability measures.
Speaking on Monday at the Supreme Court in Abuja during a special session marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year, Justice Kekere-Ekun said the judiciary had undertaken wide-ranging reforms to modernise court processes, strengthen discipline, and enhance efficiency.
She disclosed that infrastructural upgrades, including court renovations, provision of modern equipment, and the digitisation of court records, have been implemented to improve service delivery. According to her, digitised court records are now easily accessible and searchable, while a Court Records Processing Unit has been established to curb incidents of missing files.
Justice Kekere-Ekun also revealed that erring judicial officers had been disciplined after petitions before the National Judicial Council (NJC) were carefully reviewed, while frivolous petitions from habitual complainants were barred. At the same time, she said judicial officers unfairly accused were publicly exonerated. Members of the Bar found guilty of misconduct, she noted, had also been referred to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee.
On reforms to case management, the CJN explained that stricter timelines for filings and hearings had been introduced, alongside active monitoring of proceedings, to reduce delays. She added that training programmes and seminars were being prioritised to strengthen the capacity of judges and staff in handling complex legal matters.
She noted that since her assumption of office as Acting CJN in August 2024, a special committee had been constituted to recommend wide-ranging innovations in the Supreme Court’s litigation department, leading to the creation of a Central Information Unit for easy access to case details.
Justice Kekere-Ekun further disclosed that the Supreme Court had adopted new measures to streamline its hearing procedures, eliminate sharp practices, and digitise several units, including the Exhibits and Judgments Pasting Unit and the Registry. A Disposal Unit was also created to archive concluded cases.
The CJN emphasised that staff welfare remained central to the judiciary’s mission, with incentives introduced to boost morale, salaries and allowances paid promptly, and a stronger relationship fostered with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to prevent industrial disputes.
She also highlighted the efforts of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO), which has worked closely with anti-graft agencies to accelerate the prosecution of corruption cases. In the first half of 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission secured 1,417 convictions, while the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission initiated 43 new cases and secured nine convictions.
According to her, the Supreme Court recorded a remarkable improvement in case disposal in the 2024/2025 legal year. A total of 2,280 matters were considered, including 1,720 motions and 560 appeals, culminating in 369 judgments. This, she noted, marked a significant rise compared to the previous legal year, during which 1,124 cases were heard with 247 judgments delivered.
Justice Kekere-Ekun concluded by reaffirming that the Supreme Court is transitioning to a comprehensive e-filing system integrated with the National Case Management System (NCMS), signalling a bold step towards modernising judicial operations.
