Undisputed Electric Power Supply In Nigeria Courts: A Tool For An Effective Dispensation Of Justice

It is no doubt an emphasis that electricity power supply to our courts is very crucial to the administration and dispensation of justice. Majority of legal services and proceedings in Nigerian courts require electricity supply for the court to dispense justice. Hence, on some occasions, trial proceedings have been truncated due to electric power interruption in the court. Some of these ugly situations have been experienced by the writer of this paper, hence, this topic for an amendment of this ugly scenario in our courts by the appropriate authority.

I was in court for a trial proceeding (in that court) sometimes last year i.e. year 2021, when it was just a case to be called on the court’s cause list before my client’s case (and my client’s case had been a 2017 case with no single hearing (for some certain reasons) and on this particular day was to be its hearing for the first time since the suit was instituted), then, the electric power was interrupted and the only generator plant in the court’s premises had developed some faults some days prior to this particular day according to the court’s clerk, therefore, the entire court room was dark and even we as counsel in the court knew that there was not going to be any further trial or proceedings in the court. The Presiding Judge waited perhaps the electric power would be restored but that dream did not happen. Therefore, my client’s case had to be given an adjournment by the registry of the court and the court had to rise. I was then given an adjournment of 6 months! This shows one among other ugly scenarios in our justice and or court’s system! This fault was not due to the fault of the presiding court but to the electric power suppliers! The court too had no alternative to restore electric power supply to the premises. In some scenarios, the entire courtroom will be very hot to such an extent that the Presiding Judge would permit counsel in court to derobe themselves just as the Presiding judge would do too to enable fresh air due to the interrupted electric power supply! These scenarios go a long way to prove how important electric power supply to our courts is! Without electric power supply too, the secretary of the court cannot prepare court’s order, judgment, and record of proceedings, among other documents or make any photocopy for certified true copy etc.!

I therefore humbly call on the court’s authority to find a lasting solution to this problem of electric power failure and or interruption in our courts for a very effective and efficient administration and dispensation of justice in Nigeria.

 

hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com

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