The Court of Appeal has begun its new 2025/2026 legal year on Monday 22nd September, 2025 with a special sitting at its Headquarters in Abuja.
The Honourable President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, CFR, presided over the ceremony alongside her brothers the Presiding Justice of the Abuja Division, Hon. Justice Hamman A. Barka and Hon. Justice Balkisu B. Aliyu, where she welcomed Justices, staff, and members of the bar back from vacation into the new Legal Year.
Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem in her remarks, noted that the Court has always maintained that its aspirations as those of most Litigants, is to see that their matters are concluded timeously and to demonstrate that aspiration, the Rules of the Court of Appeal allocates timelines to every process filed before the Court.
His Lordship stated that when the Court sees applications for extension of time, delays and other issues, it upsets the Court but the Court has to accommodate Litigants regardless.
His Lordship therefore appealed to Lawyers to guide their clients to make up their minds fully and be armed with all the requisite materials to file their appeals before they approach the Court so that there will be no need to apply for extension of time. “I want to appeal to Lawyers to please guide the Litigants, your clients to make up their minds. Wait let them make up their minds fully, let them arm you with all the requisite materials to file your appeal before you approach the Court so that there will be no need to apply for extension of time. So that time will be extended only in an absolutely necessary situation because some Lawyers just come you apply for extension of time because you are out of time. That is not the reason for applying for extension of time, our rules state the reasons, there are conditions it is not the matter of right.
The Honourable President reminded Counsel that while the Constitution guarantees the right to appeal, that right must be exercised within the time limits provided by law. Once the time lapses, she explained, the right to appeal can only be revived by demonstrating good and compelling reasons as stipulated in the Rules of Court.
“Even if you have the right to appeal, you have the right to appeal within a specified period once that period expires, you don’t have that right again. So, if you must come after that period, you must give good and compelling reasons, that’s what the rule of Court says and the rules of Court are not just there for guidance they are there to be applied and we shall apply them”. She declared
His Lordship urged lawyers to support the Court’s mission of ensuring that justice is delivered without undue delay. Emphasizing that the Bench and the Bar must work in partnership to achieve the ultimate purpose of litigation, which is to resolve disputes fairly and conclusively.
“So, if we treat your application for extension of time with disdain, don’t be surprised. We are going to expend time and energy to hear appeals, appeals that are ripe for hearing. We can’t be spending time taking applications for extension of time, if there are valid application in law, requisite applications in law, necessary applications, we take them but applications for extension of time which do not have compelling reasons may not be countenance,” His Lordship said
Justice Dongban-Mensem thus pleaded with the lawyers to gear up and help the Court and help the citizens of Nigeria to move processes forward to ensure that the purpose of litigation which is to find solution by arriving at the conclusion of litigation is achieved.
“ We ought to all work together and be committed. That is the requirement of the rule of law. People don’t come to Court, well if they come to Court just for the joy of it or for whatever reasons, we are not going to entertain them.
“You must demonstrate willingness to proceed so if your process is out of time and you don’t take step we are going to throw them out, the rules allows us to do that and the interest of justice demands that there should be end to litigation and so we are determined to ensure that we bring litigation brought before us to an end”.
Acknowledging the role of the Supreme Court and affirming the Court of Appeal’s readiness to abide by its directives and decisions, His Lordship added: “So when you are not satisfied, fortunately you have the Supreme Court to go to.
“If they instruct us to revisit ourselves and if they reverse us, we will comply because we believe in the rule of law and we are bound by the decision of the Supreme Court and we don’t have power to reverse ourselves except as conferred on us by the law.
“So please don’t push us to throw out your processes just because you are not up and about. We want to believe that we are all on the same page, that we are all committed to the rule of law and that we aspire to ensure that matters brought to us come to reasonable conclusion”.
“We will empty your hands, offload the load on your hands, more will come but if you hold on to the little you have nothing will come. So don’t hold on to any matter, let it go and more will come to you,” His Lordship enjoined.
Concluding her remarks, Hon. Justice Monica-Dongban Mensem, CFR extended warm greetings to senior members of the Bar present at the special sitting, particularly Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN.
His Lordship explained that while a more elaborate ceremonial session of the legal year will hold at a later date, it was important to resume sittings immediately in order to avoid delaying pending cases.
“So on behalf of my colleagues and the entire Court of Appeal which is very well represented this morning here I wish us all good luck and best wishes, good health and good prosperity. Thank you”
In response on behalf of the Bar, Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali SAN welcomed the President and Justices of the Court to the new legal year. Praying that God will give them everything they need to be able to dispense justice in accordance with the law without ill will or affection.
Assuring the Court of the cooperation of members of the Bar, affirming their commitment to upholding best practices in both preparation and advocacy, Prof. Ali said: “You can be very sure my lords that for those of us on this side, we have no other business other than to make sure that things are progressing as they ought to be”
Professor Ali further aligned with the concerns expressed by the President of the Court, noting that some counsel unnecessarily hold on to matters, thereby denying themselves and others the opportunity to progress with fresh cases.
“Your Lordship made a very valid point for those who think that a particular case is so important that they don’t want it to be disposed off. The tendency is that they will get themselves so occupied with that, and probably won’t get other things that will come in, which will be of benefit to them.”
He acknowledged the challenges faced by the Court in managing its workload, describing the Justices as akin to a “proverbial market or waste basket” where all forms of matters are brought for resolution, and encouraged patience and resilience in handling the pressures of judicial duty.
“Your Lordship we thank you and we know that you make everything easy for us.
Your Lordship will still have to endure a few things, going down the lane, things may not happen the way Your Lordships thought or your expectations about certain individuals or some of our colleagues may be deemed but Your Lordship will still have to accommodate us.
“Your Lordships were like the proverbial market or waste basket, everything comes in there you still have to endure us.
“We assure you that we will do our best, we will also counsel our colleagues to be of best practice when they appear and in the preparation of their processes.
We wish your lordships the very best, thank you My Lords.”