The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has rejected a legislative proposal by the Senate to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices from 21 to 30, insisting that the move fails to address the root causes of the inefficiencies plaguing Nigeria’s apex court.
Naija News reports that the bill, sponsored by Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West), seeks to amend existing statutes to allow the expansion of the Supreme Court bench, citing an urgent need to reduce the backlog of appeals and improve judicial efficiency.
Speaking in support of the bill, Izunaso said the increase was necessary to enable the court form multiple panels simultaneously, thereby speeding up hearings and judgments.
“If we have 30 justices, it allows the formation of at least five panels simultaneously. That way, more cases can be handled at a faster pace. Some litigants are being given hearing dates as far ahead as 2027 and 2028,” he noted.
Despite the 2023 appointments that brought the court to its full constitutional strength of 21 justices, Izunaso argued that the Supreme Court remains overwhelmed by the volume of cases filed daily.
However, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, disagreed with the bill, describing it as a superficial fix to a much deeper problem.
In an interview with Sunday Punch, Osigwe said the issue is not the number of justices but the structure of the justice delivery system and the volume of frivolous or routine appeals making it to the apex court.
“When the number of justices was about 15 or 16, there was a clamour for a full complement of 21. That was achieved, yet the workload didn’t reduce,” he said.
He warned that without meaningful constitutional amendments, increasing the number of justices would not translate into improved efficiency.
Osigwe advocated for a fundamental change in what cases can reach the Supreme Court, insisting that only appeals involving constitutional interpretation or conflicting appellate decisions should be admitted.
“The Supreme Court is described as one of the most overworked in the world. We cannot expect it to handle thousands of appeals and still deliver top-notch, consistent judgments,” he added.
Beyond legislative amendments, the NBA boss also called for the modernisation of court operations, including the adoption of advanced case management systems, to streamline the court’s workflow.
“Even if we raise the number to 30 or 50 justices, it won’t solve the problem unless we adopt smarter methods of managing and assigning cases,” Osigwe argued.
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