CJN Calls for Special Court Maritime Cases to Seek Faster Admiralty Justice

• Abbas canvasses stronger collaboration to unlock maritime potentials

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has called for a responsive, efficient and specialised system of admiralty justice capable of resolving maritime disputes in a timely and effective manner.

The CJN disclosed that the maritime sector serves as a vital channel for the movement of goods and services, facilitates international trade, supports economic growth and contributes significantly to employment and national revenue.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while declaring the 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges open Wednesday in Abuja, emphasised the importance of effective and prompt dispensation of admiralty justice, noting that maritime disputes often involve complex, time-sensitive and cross-border transactions.

She stressed that delays in resolving such disputes could disrupt commercial operations, increase costs, undermine investor confidence and affect the smooth functioning of the maritime industry.

She therefore underscored the need for a responsive, efficient and specialised system of admiralty justice capable of resolving maritime disputes in a timely and effective manner.

Justice Kekere-Ekun also highlighted the importance of collaboration across jurisdictions, particularly given the inherently international nature of maritime commerce.

She noted that ships, cargoes, commercial transactions and maritime disputes frequently involve multiple countries and legal systems, making cooperation among courts, judicial officers, regulators, legal practitioners and other stakeholders essential.

She further underscored the importance of the seminar as a platform for judicial and professional engagement, knowledge-sharing and the strengthening of institutional capacity in the field of maritime law.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, represented by the Deputy Chief Whip, Hon. Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka, also highlighted the strategic importance of the maritime sector to national and global economies.

He noted that disruptions in maritime trade could reverberate across national economies, affecting supply chains, the availability and cost of goods, industrial production and economic growth.

He assured participants that the House of Representatives would continue to enact appropriate legislation and diligently perform its oversight functions to support the development of the maritime sector.