Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun yesterday said there will be no room for indolent judges who fail to live up to expectation on the Bench.
She said jurists who are unable to deliver the required number of judgments in a quarter would incur the wrath of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Any judge who fails to improve would be shown the way out, Justice Kekere-Ekun warned.
The CJN spoke in Abuja at the third annual NJC Conference on Judges’ Performance Evaluation with the theme: Judge Craft, Performance and the Way Forward.
Justice Kekere-Ekun recalled that at the committee’s last meeting, there was a reduction in case disposal because some judges failed to deliver a single judgment in one quarter.
She said that display of indolence was unacceptable.
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Justice Kekere-Ekun said: “Unless we can justly, speedily and effectively execute our roles as judicial officers, the populace will lose confidence in the judiciary as it is mostly believed, rightly or wrongly, that the judicial process is often painstakingly slow and tedious, and delayed justice is denied justice.”
The CJN advised judges to embrace the culture of excellence and accountability, adding that they should be in charge of their courtroom, maximizing the use of case management system and fostering an environment where constructive feedback is valued and acted upon.
She said performance metrics should not merely be about speed, but also about the quality and impact of the decisions of the judges.
Justice Kekere-Ekun frowned at the increasing number of pending cases and low disposition rates, noting that “as of the 1st quarter of 2024, we had a total of 243,253 cases pending in our superior courts of record, exclusive of the Supreme Court. This total is comprised of 199,747 civil cases and 43,506 criminal cases.”
She said: “It is imperative for all of us to take a serious note of this alarming situation and refocus our attention towards enhancing our judicial performance.”
The CJN urged judges to embrace information technology and case management innovations to enhance judicial performance.
She said the introduction of digital case management systems, the Judicial Performance Evaluation Software (JPES), virtual courtrooms, e-filing systems, digital databases, web seminars, online meetings and advanced research engines provide a myriad of tools for efficiency in case disposition.
Justice Kekere-Ekun said the increase in the salaries and allowances of judges by President Bola Tinubu was a remarkable achievement, stressing that the improvement in the welfare of judicial officers is a step in the right direction to promote the independence of the judiciary.
She also said the improved welfare would also have impact on the professionalism, quality and pace of justice in the country.
The CJN urged members of the legal profession to continually strive for mastery and excellence of the craft to enhance the effectiveness and integrity of the judicial system.
She urged judges to carry out their duties with integrity and deep sense of responsibility to restore public trust in the judiciary.
Justice Kekere-Ekun said looking inward and identifying areas of improvement in the performance of judicial duties would lead to the realisation of the effective justice system that upholds the four cardinal principles of “Independence, Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency.”
The CJN said the NJC performance evaluation committee, which is saddled with the responsibility of evaluating the performances of judicial Officers by assessing the quarterly returns of cases of Judges in the superior courts of records, has recorded success.
She said the theme of the conference encapsulated the core of the professional endeavors of Judges, their aspirations and desire for excellent services delivery in Justice dispensation and administration.
The Chairman of the six-member committee, Retired Supreme Court Sidi Bage Muhammad lamented the consistently low performance of some judicial officers, despite the continuous guidance given by his committee.
Justice Muhammad said the development informed the decision of the NJC, at its 106th meeting, to insist that henceforth, any judge with persistently poor performance should be recommended by the committee for removal from office.
He clarified that the purpose of the Committee is not to witch-hunt, intimidate, oppress or create fear in the minds of Judges in the course of performing their constitutional and statutory judicial duties, but to support judicial officers as they expeditiously discharge their adjudicatory responsibilities competently, diligently and in accordance with their Oaths of Office.
He added: “However, the Committee does not and will not tolerate repeated acts of non-performance due to indolence, non-chalance or impunity as may be inferred from some of the returns submitted by our judicial officers and even the submission of false returns by a few. These practices must stop.
“In furtherance of its mandate, the committee continues to hold cause meetings which provide heads of courts and individual Judges the opportunity to engage with the Committee and jointly work towards developing lasting solutions aimed at enhancing performance.”
Justice Muhammad said the committee has also established a commendation and query register, developed guidelines on performance evaluation.
He said it woud continue to implement the Judges’ performance evaluation software, which ensures the online submission of quarterly returns.
Justice Muhammad said the committee would establish a new system for the evaluation of judicial officers which will focus on both qualitative and quantitative indicators.
He said the Performance Evaluation Committee was established by the NJC, pursuant to its powers as provided in Item 21, Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended)
Justice Muhammad said the decision to establish the Performance Evaluation Committee as a Standing Committee of the Council followed the report submitted by the Justice Kayode Eso Committee, which suggested that urgent action was required to improve the performance and ethical conduct of judicial officers nationwide.
Other members of the committee which has the mandate of evaluating, assessing, monitoring and supervising the performance and general conduct of judicial officers in the discharge of their judicial functions and the administration of justice are Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour (Vice-Chairman), Justice A. D. Yahaya, Justice B. B. Kanyip, Justice K. Zannah and Hajiya Fatima Nana Mede.