“Law as It Ought to Be”: NBA Law Week Highlights Push for Tech and Timelines
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, emphasized the urgent need to tackle Nigeria’s judicial backlog through his sponsorship of a constitutional amendment bill aimed at setting definitive timelines for civil and criminal case resolution.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abuja Branch, themed “Unlocking Opportunities: New Frontiers,” Hon. Kalu highlighted the crippling delay in justice delivery as a major threat to public confidence in the judiciary.
He explained that as of early 2024, Nigeria’s superior courts faced over 243,000 pending cases, including nearly 200,000 civil and 43,000 criminal matters, excluding the Supreme Court. Some civil disputes drag on for 10 to 20 years, seriously undermining justice.
To address this, Hon. Kalu and fellow lawmakers sponsored a bill proposing strict timelines for trials and appeals. The bill mandates that, except election petitions, superior courts must deliver judgments within 270 days of filing, while lower courts and tribunals have 210 days to do the same.
Beyond timelines, the Deputy Speaker underscored the transformative potential of technology—especially Artificial Intelligence (AI)—in modernizing Nigeria’s judiciary. He urged embracing LegalTech, blockchain, cryptocurrency law, space law, and wealth management as emerging frontiers for legal practitioners.
“Our vision for ‘Law as it ought to be’ is not mere digitization but a comprehensive overhaul that leverages AI and digital tools to reduce backlog, improve accessibility, and boost investor confidence,” he said. Noting Nigeria’s poor ranking (186th out of 190) in contract enforcement, he advocated expanding e-filing, remote hearings, and nationwide digital case management.
Hon. Kalu also called for comprehensive AI legislation to unify the currently fragmented regulatory framework, recommending that Nigeria adopt innovation sandboxes similar to those pioneered by the Central Bank of Nigeria in fintech.
He concluded that a futuristic judiciary equipped with technology and sound legal frameworks would enhance efficiency, accountability, and justice delivery for all Nigerians.
