Thirst for adequate application of digital technology in justice administration in Nigeria has been for long because of its potential to facilitate processes and take the judiciary to the next level.
Worldwide, digitisation has made a remarkable impact in the justice sector.
Digitisation is the process of changing from analog form to digital form. It is often referred to as digital enablement.
Its introduction in the various areas that concern justice administration, including the courts and bar forums, are yielding results.
In the past, lawyers were saddled with manual filing of court papers, which is characterised with delays and other inconveniences.
Lagos State Judiciary had, in 2013, introduced Judiciary Information System and e-filing, in an effort to speed up justice administration.
The system was inaugurated on Oct. 2, 2013, by the then Chief Judge of the State, Justice Ayotunde Philips.
This innovation has made a remarkable impact in justice administration in the state.
Ten years after, the judiciary took another giant digitisation stride, with the inauguration of the Court Management Information System (CoMIS).
The CoMIS was inaugurated in February 2023, during which a service-level agreement between Lagos State Judiciary and the consultant firm, Cinfores Ltd., was signed.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Cinfores Ltd., Mr Asawo Ibifuro, about 49 court workers were trained on how to use the CoMIS while lawyers were provided with videos showing step-by-step processes of e-filing, using the platform.
Ibifuro added that more than 350 users, including court personnel and private citizens, had registered for e-filing and e-affidavit deposition on the Lagos CoMiS.
The CoMIS appears to hold a great future for Lagos State Judiciary as it ensures that affidavits are safe, verifiable and secure.
A lawyer, Mrs Fortune Eze, says e-filing has redefined the court as an improved service provider.
According to her, e-filing has allowed lawyers to access and upload documents related to their cases from any location, unlike when filing was manually done.
She is convinced that the innovation has reduced burdens on lawyers since physical presence in court for filing of processes is no longer necessary.
“With the e-filing process, you can imagine the number of cases I would have filed at my own comfort unlike in the days when we had to queue just to file.
“Although, there are challenges with every innovation, I must say that electronic filing has greatly assisted in the area of speedy frontloading of processes, at least in Lagos State,” she says.
A litigant, Mr Iheanacho Ogwa, also believes that digitalisation has enabled Lagos State to make remarkable progress in the area of justice delivery.
According to him, e-filing is more than a tool for facilitating justice delivery.
He notes that it was very beneficial during the COVID-19 pandemic when social distancing was a policy.
According to Ogwa, some Nigerian courts are now familiar with virtual hearings, thereby eliminating problems posed by distance or transfer of judges out of jurisdictions, to the continuance of suits before them.
A lawyer and human rights advocate, Mr Anthony Makolo, describes virtual hearing as “saver of the day”.
He is of the opinion that it saves time, energy and resources for litigants and counsel who would have travelled long distances to attend courts.
According to him, with virtual hearing, court proceedings can still be conducted seamlessly and with full participation of all parties.
“I am of the opinion that virtual proceedings remain an inevitable tool in our present legal system; so, it has come to stay.
“Although, some lawyers may have their reservations about the process, it is important to note that its benefits far outweigh any shortcomings,” he argues.
He remarks that the world is fast becoming a global village with every sector taking advantage of digitisation.
“Judiciary is such an important arm of government that cannot be left out in the technological space,” he says.
According to a public affairs analyst, Mr Gbenga Idowu, also commendable is the recent introduction of Lawpavilion GPT into law reports in Nigeria.
He defines the innovation as an electronic system which searches for cases and gives lawyers recent authorities for their cases.
The Lawpavilion, in August 2023, introduced a technology which formulates issues for determination in a case, provides the grounds of appeal in a suit and help lawyers with all basic ingredients for instituting an action.
The Lawpavilion Primsol GPT prides itself as being able, in the nearest future, to introduce a technology which can fully determine a suit.
Also, in furtherance of a digitally-inclined justice sector, the Yakubu Maikyau-led Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Dec. 12, 2023, announced introduction of the NBA website built with technologies to facilitate a tech-driven secretariat.
The website represents a significant leap in online presence of the bar and boasts of key features that make it user-friendly.
The “Find a Lawyer” directory has been revamped on the website and is now being used by lawyers to recover lost Supreme Court Enrolment Number.
It also enables the public to conduct due diligence on lawyers.
Noteworthy also is that within two months of going live, the website has attracted over 20,000 new users, he says.
Also, bar practising fee is now only payable online unlike in the past when lawyers queued to make payments in overcrowded commercial banks.
Analysts are convinced that deployment of more digital technologies in 2024 would make the judiciary more effective and efficient.
