RAMINBAR urges Chief Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun to reverse the new fee, warning it could deny ordinary Nigerians access to the country’s highest court…..
The Rights Advocacy and Monitoring Initiative Bar (RAMINBAR) has called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat M. Kekere-Ekun, to immediately withdraw the newly introduced N500,000 electronic filing fee contained in the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2026, describing the charge as excessive and a major barrier to justice.
Addressing a World Press Conference, the group argued that the filing fee is beyond the reach of the average Nigerian, particularly at a time when the national minimum wage stands at N70,000.
RAMINBAR warned that unless the policy is reviewed or completely scrapped, access to the Supreme Court would effectively become the preserve of wealthy Nigerians, leaving millions of citizens unable to pursue justice through the nation’s highest judicial institution.
The association maintained that while it appreciates efforts to modernise the judiciary through digital innovations, such reforms should not come at the expense of access to justice.
According to the group, introducing a filing fee of N500,000 risks shutting the doors of the Supreme Court to low-income Nigerians and undermines the principle that justice should be available to every citizen, regardless of financial status.
RAMINBAR further argued that the judiciary was established to serve all Nigerians and not only those with the financial means to bear such high litigation costs.
The association therefore appealed to the Chief Justice to either reduce the e-filing fee to what it described as a reasonable and affordable amount or abolish the charge entirely in the interest of fairness and justice.
It stressed that preserving public confidence in the judiciary requires ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent citizens from seeking legal redress.
The appeal was jointly signed by RAMINBAR Chairperson, Ayo Ademiluyi, and the association’s Secretary, Abiodun Kolawole, who urged the Chief Justice to give urgent consideration to the concerns raised and ensure that the judiciary remains accessible to both rich and poor Nigerians.
