Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigeria Bar Association, Abia State branch, has told the state government in plain terms that the judiciary is crumbling and that the 2027 budget must fix it. The association made the demand on Thursday, September 11, 2026, during a public engagement organised by the Abia State Government to collect the needs of citizens for the proposed 2027 budget. The NBA's representative, Ikemefula Ijioma, delivered a message that was both a plea and an indictment: the roofs of some courtrooms in the state are in such bad shape that court proceedings, including the trial of important matters, are suspended whenever it rains.
The problem is not new. For years, the NBA has warned that the Abia judiciary is being suffocated by dilapidated infrastructure. In September 2024, the Chairman of the NBA Aba Branch, Charles Onuchukwu, said the non-appointment of judges and dilapidated courtrooms were frustrating justice delivery in the state. He explained that High Courts had fewer judges while magistrate courts lacked the courtrooms to sit and hear cases. That same year, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, Ikechukwu Uwanna, responded to the NBA's complaints, but the problems persisted. In 2025, Onuchukwu again raised the alarm, telling journalists that the biggest impediment to speedy delivery of justice in the state was the lack of courtrooms and the non-appointment of judges since 2022. He noted that the site once housing some courtrooms inside the Aba High Court had been knocked down for failing an integrity test and had not been rebuilt.
The consequences of this neglect are not abstract. When a courtroom roof leaks, the judge cannot sit. When the judge cannot sit, cases are adjourned. When cases are adjourned, defendants remain in custody awaiting trial, litigants spend more money on legal fees, and the backlog of unresolved cases grows. The NBA said the rehabilitation of the dilapidated facilities would provide a conducive environment for judges, lawyers, clients and those on trial, as well as support the speedy dispensation of justice in the state. The association acknowledged some infrastructural interventions by the state government but made it clear that much more needs to be done.
The engagement was not limited to the NBA. Mrs Ihediwamma Gladys of the Grassroots Community Development Initiative demanded that civil society organisations be allowed to monitor the implementation stages of Abia State's annual budgets to ensure accountability and transparency. Traditional rulers in the state urged the government to increase security presence around new school buildings in communities to protect the facilities from being vandalised or looted. All these demands were directed at the same budget, and they all reflect the same underlying problem: the gap between what the government says it will do and what it actually delivers.
Responding to the submissions, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Kingsley Anosike, said the citizens' engagement programme was designed to collect the needs of the people before the 2027 budget is planned. He promised that the concerns raised by the NBA, persons living with disabilities, civil society organisations and community leaders would be taken into consideration, subject to available resources. The phrase "subject to available resources" is the one that the NBA and the people of Abia State will be watching closely. It is the phrase that has been used to explain away inaction for years.
The Abia State Government has made efforts to improve the judiciary under Governor Alex Otti. In October 2025, the government inaugurated the newly constructed Umueñe Ultra-Modern Court Complex, fitted with digital connectivity and state-of-the-art facilities. Plans were announced to construct multi-functional, ultra-modern judicial complexes in Aba and Umuahia, each featuring 15 standard courtrooms, conference centres and a 1,000-seater multi-purpose hall. These are welcome developments. But they do not address the leaking roofs in the courtrooms where justice is being delayed today. The NBA's message is simple: the judiciary cannot function in buildings that are falling apart. The 2027 budget must fix the roofs, refurbish the courtrooms, and give the men and women who administer justice the environment they need to do their jobs. Anything less is a continuation of the status quo, and the status quo is a judiciary that cannot deliver justice when it rains.
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