Today, I and my colleague travelled all the way to the High Court of Kaduna State in Dogorawa, Zaria for a matter. Before taking off, we had established communication with the court registrar severally to be sure that the court would sit. The registrar informed us that the court would sit.
It was then troubling and disillusioning when we got to court at about 10 minutes before 10 am (the court sits by 10 am) only to meet an empty court with no appearance that anything was going to happen. The registrar was absent, with no court staff to even receive counsel and give dates. This is too bad.
While it is conceded that the court may not sit on any date for whatever reasons, their Lordships must do all they can to ensure that Registries put out the notice early enough, not less than 48 hours to the date. This will save lawyers the waste of time, energy, financial and emotional resources associated with such occurrence.
Respectfully, I call on the National Judicial Council (NJC) under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria to issue a guideline or practice direction compelling all courts to create WhatsApp groups for updating counsel with the schedule of cases and activities in their courts.
Furthermore, His Lordship, the Honourable the Chief Justice of Nigeria is also, as Chairman of the National Judicial Council, respectfully urged to also make it mandatory for courts to give at least 48 hours notice to counsel where they would not be sitting.
Commendably, some courts have doing this effectively. Of note is Ondo State High Court 2 (Adebusoye, J.), Federal High Court, Akure, High Court 1, New Karu, Nasarawa State among others.
Hopefully, this is one of the major reforms that the judiciary would witness under the Honourable, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice K. M. O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON.
* Adodo is a human rights lawyer
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