In a significant development, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, along with other prominent legal bodies, have expressed their support for President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to increase the salaries and allowances of judges by 300%.
The endorsement came from the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC), among others.
This collective backing was voiced during a public hearing held by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, led by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno.
The hearing focused on a bill aimed at setting the remuneration for judicial office holders in Nigeria.
During his address, Fagbemi highlighted the long-standing efforts to enhance the compensation of the nation’s judicial officers, marking a pivotal moment in the pursuit of fair remuneration for the judiciary.
He said: “I wish to remark that the Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) Bill 2024 is quite innovative, aside from the increment in the basic salary, it also took cognizance of certain peculiarities of the administrative structure and operation of the judiciary.
“This Bill will birth an appropriate and commensurate remuneration that will ensure judicial independence and integrity.
“The present-day but sad reality is that the judiciary has stagnated on the same salary scale for over 16 years, this is totally unacceptable and quite antithetical to any meaningful judicial reform.
“I strongly commend this Bill for your kind consideration and do urge the Senate to support and ensure the passage of this Bill in the national interest of promoting the rule of law.”
“In consultation with the judiciary and other key stakeholders, we are also interested in ensuring a holistic review of our judicial system to respond to the justice needs of Nigeria.
“This is why I am taking immediate/urgent steps to establish a Working Group on the review of the Constitution and other relevant laws. The Working Group will, among others, focus on the key provisions aimed at achieving the judiciary that responds to the evolving justice needs of Nigerians.
“At the appropriate time, and I promise very soon, we will come up with proposals for Constitutional and Statutory reforms of the Judiciary in particular, and the Administration of the Justice System in general.”
