NCC Sensitises Judiciary On New Technologies, Digital Presence

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) argues that the judiciary sector has to be educated to the unique challenges of conflict resolution in the age of digital presence and online identity.

This was said at the annual workshop for judges on legal issues in telecommunications held in Lagos by Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC.

The theme of the Workshop was: “The Digital World and the Future of Adjudication”.

In his welcome speech, Danbatta stated that the workshop's goal was to increase the Judges' capacity by providing them with useful knowledge about current concerns in the sector of telecommunications.

“The Commission has high hopes that the current workshop will further contribute to the development of telecommunications law in Nigeria.

“It is worth noting that new technologies and unyielding reliance on the internet will pose unimaginable and complex challenges.

“Hopefully, this workshop will illuminate these challenges and proffer ways to meet the dynamics of the changing times,” Danbatta said.

The EVC/CEO recalled that the commission had spearheaded efforts by the Nigerian government to create a digital economy that promotes growth and diversification of the economy on a national scale.

He claimed that the initiative has caused Nigeria's broadband penetration to rise by 91.70 percent over the previous four years.

“The country’s broadband penetration increased from 21.21 per cent in April 2017 to 40.66 per cent in April 2021.

“The commission’s data show that in April 2021, 77,605,500 million Nigerians were connected to the internet, up from 40,481,570 million in April 2017.

“The current broadband penetration as at June 2022 stands at 44.30 per cent with more than 84 million internet subscriptions in the country,” he said.

Danbatta claimed that the commission foresaw a rise in disputes over who owns the rights to materials and content found online as a result of both the quantity of online content and its increasing economic value.

“It is necessary that your Lordships are well prepared for the imminent increase in litigation in this area.

“Furthermore, with an increase in the number of transactions and businesses taking place in the online space, it is also expedient for your Lordships to be exposed to the peculiarities of adjudicating conflicts in this era of digital presence and online identity,” he said.

He urged the courts to provide input and raise concerns that would help the commission adopt effective regulatory measures that would accelerate growth in the communications industry.

The ability to consistently improve the Justice sector with the use of ICT technologies, according to Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Chairman, the Board of Governors on the National Judicial Institute, is the key to effective and efficient justice delivery in Nigeria.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-ekun acted as the Chairman's representative.

In his speech, he claimed that while delays in the administration of justice had been a problem for the legal system, many of the problems brought on by traditional techniques were progressively being eliminated with the introduction of ICT into the judicial setting.

The workshop, according to Ariwoola, who doubles as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), would, among other things, enrich the experience of the judicial officers by providing them with the skills necessary for adjudication in the modern, digitalized environment.

Thus, they would stay up to date with international best practices.

“In our effort to ensure that the Nigerian Judiciary becomes ICT compliant, we have inaugurated the Judicial Information Technology Policy Committee (JITPO-COM) in January 2012 to chart a course for the introduction of Court Technology into the Nigerian Courts.

“The vision is to enhance the efficient and speedy disposal of cases.

“A committee was set up with the mandate to assist the Judiciary meet the fast-evolving needs of its Judicial Officers, court employees, key stakeholders and the general public, by using Information Technology to improve the general performance of the Nigerian Judiciary, ” he said.

According to the committee's chairman, one of the committee's duties was to create a policy for the safe, secure, and easy adoption of technology in the Nigerian judiciary.

The Nigerian Case Management System (NCMS) software, according to him, was created and implemented by the Nigerian Judiciary.

“The goal of the NCMS is to provide for a seamlessly interfacing electronic platform for case management by all the courts in Nigeria.

“Some State High Courts are completely automated since October 2020, using the NCMS to receive and assign cases,” he added.

However, he maintained that cooperation between the Commission and the Judiciary was essential because it would prevent citizens from committing crimes that are harmful to the development of the country.

The NCC's efforts to maintain their partnership were applauded by the CJN since they had helped the judicial officers' knowledge bases grow.