LAWYER’s DIARY: Do We Need to “Pay” to Play in Nigeria’s Justice System?

As I stepped into the process section of the magistrate court, I said, “Good morning, Registrar. I am here to open a file for my new matter.” I went on to tell him of the difficulties I had encountered when when filing the same on the e-filing portal before it was finally approved.
He collected the copy of the processes from me and quickly checked through the pages. “Have you paid for the new file at the cashier’s office?” he asked. I answered in affirmation.
“Mr. Mujeeb, your work is quite extensive, with many pages,” he said, as he started labeling the pages of the process. “Just so you know, the amount of money you are going to pay me will be substantial.”
The registrar’s statement caught me off guard. I was taken aback, feeling disappointed. “‘Pay you’?” I replied, feeling frustrated. “I had already paid some money while using the e-filing system, paid at the cashier’s office, paid for the file to be transported to the designated court, and still, I need to tip you just to label my file.”
“But you still have to pay me too,” he said. “I will not do free work.”
What happened next was even more shocking. When I told the registrar that I had nothing on me, he refused to attend to me and became agitated until I stepped out to withdraw some cash for him.
Is this the reality of the system? Are registrars not paid salaries by the government? These are questions that came to my mind.
Another day, almost 4 months into this experience, I had filed an application in respect of a matter pending at another magistrate court. The e-filing system required that the application be stamped and oathed by an oath officer online before it could be added to the court file. This process typically takes a day or two. However, I waited over a week, and the application remained unstamped.
I decided to visit the e-filing office in person. As I entered, I politely asked the officer, “excuse me, madam, I filed an application last week, but it wasn’t stamped. Could you please look into it?” The officer became defensive, responding angrily, “Why would you say that? All works are stamped immediately.” She assumed I was questioning her diligence.
However, as she input the details I provided to confirm, she realized that my complaints were true. “Oh, it was an oversight,” she admitted. An oversight? I was shocked to further discover that I wasn’t the only one affected. Some lawyers were also present, complaining that her nonchalant attitude had forced them to take unnecessary adjournments for their case.
I could go on and on to narrate similar narratives where registrars have continued to exhibit this kind of attitude. I believe none of these narratives should be taken lightly, because they represent serious factors contributing to the delay in our justice system.
You can tell from my narrative that a case will definitely suffer delays and a series of adjournments at the point of filing or pendency. Alternatively, one may choose to tip their way out. And guess what? To avoid the brunt of these consequences, rich lawyers often succumb to tipping their way out.
But what will happen to we the up-and-coming rich lawyers ? I think we need some justice.