NJI boss charges staff on use of ICT for effective justice administration

The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Rosaline Bozimo has charged staff of the nation’s judiciary on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the effective administration of justice.

Bozimo was speaking in Abuja on Monday at the opening ceremony of a workshop organised by the Institute for ICT staff of the judiciary

The workshop, according to the NJI boss, was part of the statutory mandate of the institute to organise continuing education for judicial officers and support staff as required by the institute’s enabling Act.

Represented by the Chief Judge of Borno State, Justice Kashim Zannah, the NJI boss said the influence of ICT in the judiciary can be felt by the introduction of the Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS) in some courts as well as the use of legal email for filing and serving court processes between counsels to a case and between the court and counsels.

Justice Bozimo said courts’ ICT staff are indispensable in the administration of justice, as they play supportive roles to judicial officers.

“You are often charged with the onerous tasks which relate to the overall day to day running of the courts.

“These tasks include the recording of court proceedings, production of court records, orders, rulings, judgement, among others.

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“Consequently, the process of producing, transmitting and retrieving records of proceedings and communication as ordered by the court will not be possible without your input.

“Hence, your performance impacts on the effective, efficient and expeditious dispensation of justice,“ the NJI boss told the ICT staff of the judiciary that participated in the workshop.

She said the proficiency and propriety of ICT staff in their respective courts will determine the first impression and also inspire confidence to every court user that approaches the court to seek for remedy.

Bozimo told the ICT staff that their capacity to provide the required services to court users cannot be overemphasised and that the workshop, titled, “ICT as a catalyst for effective justice administration in Nigeria,” will not only broaden their knowledge but will also enhance their productivity and efficiency towards a better administration of justice.