A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olusola Ojutalayo, has raised concerns over poor working conditions in magistrates' courts across the country, saying deplorable facilities are threatening justice delivery.
Ojutalayo, who described courtrooms as cramped, hot and poorly ventilated, with inadequate seating, unreliable power supply and insufficient security, warned that the conditions undermine effective administration of justice.
He spoke on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address titled, 'The Future of the Nigerian Magistracy in an Evolving Justice Sector', at the 2026 National Convention of the Magistrates' Association of Nigeria, MAN, held at the Judiciary Complex, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The four-day event, tagged, 'The Gateway Convention', is themed 'Strengthening the Magistracy for Effective Justice Delivery Through Capacity Building and Innovation'.
Ojutalayo said the physical environment where magistrates operate has direct bearing on quality of justice, stressing that uncomfortable conditions put pressure on magistrates to rush through cases.
"The physical environment is therefore part of the quality of justice, and not a matter of administration alone. Many magistrates' courtrooms are cramped, hot and poorly ventilated, with inadequate seating, unreliable power supply and little security.
"A court in which everyone present is uncomfortable and anxious to leave is not one in which careful justice is easily done. Many magistrates will admit that the temptation to rush through a list, simply to escape an unbearable room, is real," he said.
According to him, such conditions could compromise litigants' constitutional right to fair hearing and restrict public right to attend proceedings.
He also identified inadequate funding, delayed welfare provisions, lack of official vehicles, heavy caseloads, outdated record-keeping and unclear promotion pathways as major challenges confronting the magistracy.
The SAN noted that delays in criminal justice are often caused by factors beyond magistrates' control, including failure to produce defendants, absence of prosecutors and incomplete case files, warning that they contribute to congestion in custodial centres where awaiting-trial inmates constitute substantial proportion of population.
According to him, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, which seeks speedy trial through continuous proceedings and limits on adjournments, can only achieve its objectives if all institutions work together.
On career progression, Ojutalayo said magistrates often have no clearly defined or publicly available pathway to elevation to High Court Bench, urging State Judicial Service Commissions and Chief Judges to publish objective criteria for promotion and ensure consistent application.
Citing Ogun State as example, Ojutalayo commended Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, whose career progressed from magistracy to High Court Bench and to Chief Judge.
He recalled that Dipeolu began as magistrate, was elevated to High Court in 1999 and sworn in as Chief Judge in October 2018.
In her address, Dipeolu urged magistrates to prioritize professional development, competence and diligence.
She said she understood the demands of office and aspirations for promotion, but cautioned against allowing expectations to diminish quality of service.
"Your current position is not a waiting room for another appointment; it is an office of considerable responsibility in its own right," she said.
She urged magistrates to listen patiently to litigants, apply law correctly, manage proceedings fairly, deliver well-reasoned decisions and encouraged them to embrace technological developments to handle electronic transactions, cybercrime, online fraud and electronically stored records.
Also speaking, Chief Registrar of Ogun State High Court, Olakulehin Luqman Oke, called on magistrates to shape future of magistracy through integrity, innovation and quality justice delivery.
He cautioned against reliance solely on technology or goodwill of those controlling resources.
"We must demand adequate facilities, welfare, training, transparent career progression and institutional respect. These are legitimate requirements of an effective judiciary, not personal favours," Oke said.
Poor courtrooms, inadequate funding threaten justice delivery - SAN