…As NBA President seeks reform to reduce workload at S’ Court

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – The President of the National Industrial Court, NIC, Justice Benedict Kanyip has raised concerns that all is not well with the judiciary in the country, and stressed that the penchant of lawyers suing judges, and other actions demeaning the legal practice should be checked to ensure decorum in that arm of the government.

This is as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN, lamented the overburdening of the Supreme Court, calling for reform that would reduce the workload and ensure efficiency in the judiciary.

The duo and other stakeholders spoke in Jos, Plateau State during the ongoing 2025 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Legal Practice, NBA-SLP conference tagged: “Uncommon Challenges in a Rapidly Changing Legal Environment.” The four-day event will end on Sunday, April 27.

Citing many instances where the legal practice are undermined, Justice Kanyip said, “I don’t know if these are the uncommon challenges you will be discussing but like I said, the penchant of lawyers suing judges is alarming…”

In his remarks, Osigwe, among other things, noted, “The Supreme Court is burdened with an overwhelming number of appeals, many of which could and should have been resolved at the lower courts. We must urgently re-examine the scope of appeals allowed to reach the apex court and refocus its attention on constitutional and precedent-setting cases…

“It is baffling that court judgments are not immediately and easily accessible to litigants, lawyers, and the public… Our profession must embrace innovation and global best practices if we are to remain relevant and effective, we must align our legal processes with technological advancements.”

The Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang represented by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi reminded that the NBA-SLP was set up primarily to improve the legal profession to meet some aspects of the developmental needs of the 21st century and to reposition members to embrace the changes occasioned by globalization, information technology and emerging economic dynamics in Nigeria.

He assured that, “Plateau State offers a wide range of opportunities for the advancement of Legal Practice in Nigeria,” and announced that the State has passed into Law the Plateau State Electricity law, 2024 to provide for the Administration of the Plateau State Electricity Market in clear terms of generation, transmission and distribution, the establishment of a commercial and technical regulatory framework for the market.

“This is to ensure reliable and universal access to electricity for all residents of Plateau State amongst other related purposes… It is our hope that the Legal Services sector in the State will contribute astutely to solving some of the myriad challenges in the form of obsolete laws, overcoming constitutional hindrances as well as provide cutting edge solutions to private sector challenges in safeguarding their investments in the State,” he stated.

Earlier, the NBA Jos Branch, Leah Hassan in a welcome address urged the participants to savor the goodness of the city, engage effectively, and reap the benefits of the conference.