The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has called on court administrators across the country to uphold strong professional ethics in order to sustain public confidence in the judiciary.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a national workshop on judicial ethics organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), the CJN stressed that the credibility and integrity of the judiciary depend not only on judges, but also on the administrative staff who support court operations.
Represented by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa of the Supreme Court, she described judicial administrators as essential partners in the justice system, explaining that the judiciary operates as a single institutional structure where each role is interconnected.
According to her, judges interpret and apply the law, while court administrators ensure that justice is effectively delivered by managing case schedules, safeguarding records, handling processes, overseeing resources, and serving court users.
She warned that inefficiency or ethical lapses in court administration can damage public perception of the judiciary, even when judges are not at fault. “Where registry officials fail in their duties, the public often wrongly assumes judicial inefficiency or bias,” she noted.
Justice Kekere-Ekun emphasized that ethics in court administration is the foundation of judicial legitimacy, adding that administrators hold positions of significant institutional trust. She also highlighted the growing role of technology in court processes, noting that it has improved efficiency but also introduced new ethical challenges such as data protection, cybersecurity, transparency, and responsible digital usage.
She urged court officials to ensure that technology strengthens, rather than undermines, judicial integrity, stressing the need for vigilance and professionalism in the digital age.
“The judiciary can only maintain public trust when every officer understands that integrity in administration is inseparable from integrity in adjudication,” she said, adding that professionalism among court staff is key to preserving the dignity and independence of the judiciary.
Also speaking, the Administrator of the NJI, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, said the workshop was organised to recognise the central role of judicial administrators in sustaining the justice system.
He explained that officials such as Chief Registrars, Heads of Judicial Service Commissions, Deputy Chief Registrars, and senior administrative officers form the backbone of the courts, as they implement policies, manage operations, and uphold institutional standards.
Justice Adejumo added that their responsibilities require both technical competence and strong ethical grounding, which informed the focus of the workshop.
In this article