Justice ministry launches digital platform to build modern justice system

The Federal Ministry of Justice has launched an Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS).

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The ECMS is a digital platform that enables the ministry to create, process, approve, store, and retrieve official documents electronically.

The launch held in Abuja was announced on Sunday in a statement by Kamarudeen Ogundele, media aide to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

Mr Fagbemi, in his keynote address at the launch, said the transition to a paperless environment is a cornerstone of the ministry’s digital transformation strategy, aligned with “Pillar five of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP25).”

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The AGF said the digital system is not merely a technological intervention, but a standard expected of a modern justice sector, stressing that justice institutions must be efficient, accountable, digitally enabled, and capable of delivering timely outcomes to Nigerians.

He attributed the success pf the new initiative to President Bola Tinubu. “The initiative is firmly situated within the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president and the National Policy on Justice.

He maintained that Mr Tinubu “is committed to a justice sector that will deliver timely outcomes to Nigerians.”

Shift from era of manual system

Mr Fagbemi said the ECMS launch marked the ministry’s departure from the era of manual, unstructured information management.

“It is a governance reform that strengthens institutional memory, improves decision-making, secures records, and enforces discipline in workflow and accountability,” said Mr Fagbemi.

“By digitising our correspondences, emails, and legal documents, we are dismantling the bureaucratic bottlenecks that have historically slowed the wheels of justice,” he said.

On staff welfare, the AGF said the ministry, under his leadership, has prioritised workplace modernisation to create an environment where excellence can thrive, mirroring service-wide reforms led by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

In addition to the ECMS, Mr Fagbemi inaugurated the renovated staff clinic, sports centre, crèche, and staff canteen.
He appreciated “Aig-Imouekhede Foundation, Prof Koyinsola Ajayi of Olaniwun Ajayi and Co., staff, sister ministries, and partners for their support.”

‘6,241 files scanned on ECMS’

The Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, said in her welcome address that “For too long, service delivery in the Ministry has been weighed down by challenges associated with managing physical documents, manual correspondences, and the inherent delays of a paper-heavy system.”

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She said the ECMS ‘Go-Live’ ceremony marks the end of that era, adding that “by digitizing our emails, files, and communications, we are adopting a modern, paperless culture that prioritises efficiency and transparency.”

She revealed that the ministry had successfully scanned and uploaded 6,241 physical files, comprising 331,297 pages, onto the ECMS in the last eight weeks.

She noted that “beyond digitisation, the ministry has also achieved 100 per cent official email coverage for all staff, conducted multiple tiers of ECM and digital skills training, activated departmental champions, and established clear SOPs and workflows for document tracking, approvals, and departmental workflow.”

Other dignitaries present at the launch, according to the statement, include the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, permanent secretaries of the ministries of interior, health and social welfare, as well as heads of agencies under the ministry.