Justice Folashade Bankole-Oki
In a passionate call for urgent reform, Justice Folashade Bankole-Oki has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s legal system to embrace technology, uphold media responsibility, and prioritise public engagement to rebuild a judicial system in crisis.
She appealed at the Annual Lecture of the Nigerian Association of Judicial Correspondents (NAJUC) in Lagos, emphasising the need for a holistic transformation to revitalise public confidence in the nation’s justice system.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Strengthening the Administration of Justice Through Technology, International Best Practices, Media, and Public Feedback,’ the event gathered judicial officers, legal professionals, anti-corruption leaders, and journalists to reflect on the pressing need for innovation and collaboration.
Justice Bankole-Oki stated: “There is an urgent need to strengthen the administration of justice in Nigeria. Public trust has waned and rightly so.”She stressed that restoring this trust is a collective obligation involving the government, judiciary, legal community, and most critically, the media.
Highlighting the media’s pivotal role, the jurist reminded the judicial correspondents that their reportage could either protect or erode the integrity of the justice system. She expressed concern over growing threats to press freedom, citing proposals like mandatory blogger registration as potentially harmful to freedom of expression.
“Responsible and factual reporting is key,” she said, adding: “Not sensationalism that undermines justice.” Justice Bankole-Oki praised technological advancements within the Lagos State judiciary, citing virtual hearings, e-filing systems, paperless trials, and automated transcription as progressive tools that should be scaled nationally.
She called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) and state judicial bodies to prioritise policies that promote modernisation, including the secure digitisation of case files and evidence.
Also speaking, EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede commended the media’s role in combating corruption, calling for unity and resolve in the ongoing fight.
Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, represented by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, canvassed improved collaboration between the judiciary and the media to ensure accurate reporting.
Chairman of the event, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, echoed the urgency for reform and applauded the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s (CJN) move to publish judicial nominees for public scrutiny as a step towards transparency.
NAJUC Chairman, Olugbenga Soyele, described the forum as a timely dialogue on the media’s indispensable role in shaping a transparent and technology-enabled justice system.
The Guardian
