Nigeria’s conservative judicial system needs to evolve with the tide, by embracing the use of electronic, as well as new media tools to record court proceedings in real-time.
The above suggestion emerged on Friday through a Deputy Editor with Guardian Newspapers, Joseph Onyekwere, at the once-a-month New Media Round Table put together by the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria, SDNON.
Delivering a paper captioned ‘Reporting Judicial Matters Using New Media’, Onyekwere argued that although there is no known law forbidding such practices, judges barring reporters with such tools over the years have made it set in stone.
According to him, “Anyone found wanting could be charged with contempt of court.”
Reiterating that this is standard practice in other jurisdictions, Onyekwere cited South Africa as an example; where new media was highly deployed during the live proceedings of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the country’s ex-amputee sprinter, who shot and killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
“Using new media to report judicial matters in my view is a product of legislation. This is because the judiciary is very conservative in Nigeria and is yet to reform to such a point where electronic gadgets are permitted in the courts.
“To report court proceedings, you have to be inside the court. The use of recording devices is not allowed inside the court.
“The use of videos and cameras are not allowed inside the court. Although there is no known law against such practices, judges, barring them over the years, eventually turned it into a convention. It got stuck, such that all judges don’t allow or permit anyone, including journalists or bloggers, to record or video proceedings live.
“You could be cited for contempt of court if you do so. Section 7 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State invested powers on judges to summarily convict anyone in contempt of court. The punishment is discretionary.
“But in other jurisdictions such as South Africa, new media are highly deployed. Many of us watched live proceedings of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the country’s ex-amputee sprinter, who shot and killed his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. The entire proceeding was televised live from the beginning to the end. In my view, that is the way to go,” Onyekwere enlightened.
The Deputy Editor, in his final submission, advised SDNON to push for reform in Nigeria’s judicial system to accommodate live coverage of court proceedings, and likewise, continue to advocate for total judicial automation in Nigeria.
SDNON Media Round Table is a monthly initiative of the Society of Digital Newspaper Owners of Nigeria, led by Veteran Journalist, Otunba Femi Davies, where established media practitioners are hosted and engaged to advance conversations in favour of the industry.
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