Mr. Timothy Fautsko and Mr. Collins ljoma are conducting a study of court administration and case management at three Nigerian High Courts. Mr. ljoma is Chief Administrative Officer to the Trial and Municipal Courts in Essex County, New Jersey, providing leadership and managerial support in all areas of court administration. The Chief Justice expressed support for the work being performed by Mr. Fautsko and Mr. Collins and promised the full cooperation of the judiciary. Throughout this process, Nigerian stakeholders will take the lead in defining priorities, developing plans, and selecting approaches. Case backlog, slow processing of civil and criminal cases, excessive adjournments, and lack of court users' confidence in the ability of the courts to deliver fair and timely justice have created serious problems for the Nigerian court system.
Unnecessary delay diminishes the chances of achieving justice and increases the cost of litigation.
Evidence can be lost, witnesses become unavailable, and the actual value of the judgment may be reduced. Fortunately, research has shown that delay is not inevitable. The study being conducted by Mr. Fautsko and Mr. Collins will review and address court administration and case processing and identify other alternatives to relieve court congestion. The study will recommend a design for enhancing court administration and also define steps needed to implement effective court reform. By adopting principles and techniques of effective caseflow management, Nigerian courts should be able to dramatically reduce the time need to dispose of cases and case backlogs.