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BREAKING: Court Orders Nigerian Government To Raise Judicial Officers’ Salaries, Chief Justice To Get N10M, Appeal Court President, N9M

Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae handed down the order after ruling that the "current salaries and allowances of judicial officers in the country were not only abysmally low but embarrassing".

A National Industrial Court, Abuja Division has ordered the Nigerian Government to immediately review the salaries and allowances of judicial officers in the country.

 

Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae handed down the order after ruling that the "current salaries and allowances of judicial officers in the country were not only abysmally low but embarrassing".

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Delivering judgment in a suit instituted against the Federal Government by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Sebastine, Justice Obaseki-Osaghae ordered the government to commence a monthly payment of N10 million to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), N9 million to other justices of the apex court, President of Court of Appeal, N9 million while other justices of the appellate court will get N8 million.

The Chief Judges of both Federal and State High Courts will get N8 million while judges of the Federal and States High Courts will get N7 million.

 

The judge held that the refusal of the government to review the judicial officers’ salaries and allowances for 14 years was unconstitutional, unlawful and should be compelled to do the needful.

 

"It is unfortunate that justices and judges who are ministers in the temple of Justice have become victims of injustice in the country," Obaseki-Osaghae said.

Fourteen Justices of the Supreme Court had lamented the decrepit state of affairs in the court in a letter sent to the immediate former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad.

 

In the leaked letter, the Justices accused the CJN of refusing to address the issues despite drawing his attention to them.

The justices accused the CJN of travelling with his spouse, children and personal staff, while not allowing them to travel with an assistant on foreign trips.

The judges had said in the leaked letter, “With regard to Justice’s vehicles, several are due for replacement, while the new Justices have not received their full complement of vehicles to date. Moreover, some of the vehicles supplied to the Justices are either refurbished or substandard. Your Lordship has not taken steps to address this problem.

 

“At the meeting we also discussed training. In the past Justices were nominated to attend two to three foreign workshops and trainings per annum with an accompanying person for reasons of age. Since Your Lordship’s assumption of office Justices only attended, two workshops in Dubai and Zanzibar. They were not accorded the privilege of travelling with accompanying persons as was the practice.

“Your Lordship totally ignored this demand and yet travelled with your spouse, children and personal staff. We DEMAND to know what has become of our training funds, have they been diverted, or is it a plain denial? Your Lordship may also remember that the National Assembly has increased the budgetary allocation of the Judiciary. We find it strange that in spite of the upward review of our budgetary allocation, the Court cannot cater for our legitimate entitlements. This is unacceptable!

 

“Another issue discussed was the provision of qualified legal assistants. We are aware that even lower Courts provide legal assistants for their Justices and Judges. The Supreme Court, apart from being the highest Court in the land, is a policy Court. We are confronted with various complex legal issues of national significance with the addition of time bound matters coming in between our regular Court sittings. We require qualified legal assistants in order to offer our best. This demand has not been accorded any attention by the Honourable Chief Justice.

 

“The state of health care in the Court has deteriorated; the Supreme Court clinic has become a mere consulting clinic. Drugs are not available to treat minor ailments. There is general lack of concern for Justices who require immediate or emergency medical intervention. Your Lordship has not addressed the issue of our rules Court. The Rules of Court are the immediate tools employed by Justices to dispense Justice to Court users.”