 |
In November, NCSC expert, James McMillan, participated in a preview of Nigeria’s new court case management system at the Nigeria Supreme Court chambers in Abuja, Nigeria. Out-going Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, presided over the gathering along with members of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice noted that “the project is calculated to vigorously improve public trust and confidence in the nation’s judicial system.”
Following the commissioning, Chief Judge of Borno State, and Chairman of the Judicial Information Technology Policy Committee, Justice Kashim Zannah, made the formal presentation to the members of the courts, parliament, bar, and the media. Justice Zannah noted that “the automation would ease the burden of advocacy and adjudication, and generally improve administration of justice in the country.”
After the presentation, the Chief Justice held two ribbon cutting ceremonies, opening computer centers in the Supreme Court building and at the National Judicial Council. The National Judicial Council and the Nigeria Bar Association have announced an agreement with Microsoft to provide authenticated e-mail services for Nigerian lawyers. The lawyers will be assigned e-mail addresses - after registering and presenting identification to the courts - so that court receipts and notifications can be sent electronically, thus alleviating a major challenge in the judicial process.
In August 2013, the NJC contracted with NCSC to design and implement an automated court case management system (CCMS). The CCMS will be introduced into pilot courts in Nigeria at three levels: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the High Court. In addition to providing consulting and technical services, NCSC also provided the NJC with a software framework to support the CCMS.