Ex-NBA spokesman urges judicial innovation in 2025/2026 legal year

The former Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Douglas Ogbankwa, has called for improved mechanisms to drive judicial innovation in the 2025/2026 legal year.

Ogbankwa made the call in an interview with newsmen, following the commencement of the new legal year by the nation’s judiciary.

Supreme news reports that Nigerian courts embarked on their routine annual long vacation on July 28 and are scheduled to resume on Sept. 17.

With the resumption, the judiciary will officially begin activities for the 2025/2026 legal year.

The new legal year also marks the formal reopening of courts after the vacation and provides a platform for stakeholders to reflect on challenges and discuss reforms within the judicial system.

Speaking with newsmen, Ogbankwa emphasised the need for reforms and the adoption of modern technology in the justice sector.

He noted that the new legal year should usher in technological innovations that aligned the judiciary with 21st-century realities, adding that virtual court proceedings should be a key component of such reforms.

“Often, as a profession, we fail to reflect on the happenings of the preceding legal year, which prevents us from identifying our shortcomings.

“it is essential to include a review session of the previous legal year, which will enable us make meaningful projections for the new year,” he said.

According to him, the judiciary has not fully embraced technology to solve problems in the 21st century, as some courts still require people to physically come to court to confirm sittings, when same can be done by simple text.

“Indigent litigants face challenges accessing virtual court sittings due to the lack of embedded virtual court infrastructure in court systems.

“Virtual court sittings are not automatic and requires court approval, which can be time-consuming,” he said.

He also identified the challenges in enforcing court judgments and rulings, cost of compiling records of appeal, congested prisons. tough bail conditions, among others, as drawbacks to the course of justice.

Ogbankwa consequently, called for the adoption of new initiatives that would promote justice administration in the country.