Alex Enumah in Abuja
A Professor of Law and President of the Center for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George has urged the federal government to ensure that the enhanced salaries for judicial workers recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari aligns with the order of the court.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami had announced the president’s immediate approval for increment in the salaries of judicial officers at a function in Port Harcourt, Rivers State few months ago.
The approval though coming about four months after the Industrial Court made an order to that effect is being commended by the center.
Besides Akinseye-George also called for the enactment of new laws that would remove salaries of judicial officers from the category of political office holders for the scheme to run successfully.
He spoke yesterday in Abuja, at the opening of a two-day workshop for training of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) Rangers.
The objective of the training was to inculcate in the participants improved knowledge of the ACJA and Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and to motivate them to take up the task of looking out for ways of ensuring compliance with the law by law enforcement personnel and other stakeholders of the system of criminal justice administration.
The ACJA or ACJL Rangers are expected to create awareness and sensitise members of the public as to their roles in promoting effective implementation of the law.
He said, “The CSLS notes with delight the directive issued by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) to commence implementation of improved salaries and working conditions of judicial officers.
“We urge the commission to act quickly on the president’s directive so that the 2023 budget can reflect the review. In doing so, the commission must give due regard to the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) that prescribed certain amounts as befitting salaries for different levels of judicial officers.”
Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae of the National Industrial Court had in a judgment in July, held that the current salaries and allowances of judicial officers in the country is not only abysmally low but embarrassing and accordingly ordered the federal government to put machinery in place for the immediate review of the salaries and allowances of the judicial officers.
According to the judgment, the federal government is 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 N8 million; Chief Judges of both Federal and States High Courts – N8 million while judges of the Federal and States High Courts N7 million; Heads of Sharia Court of Appeal and its counterpart in the Customary Court, N8 million and N7 million for the judges in both courts.
The judge in addition had held that the federal government shall continue to carry out yearly or once in two years review of the salaries and allowances of the judicial officers.
According to Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, the refusal of the government to review the judicial officers’ salaries and allowances for 14 years was unconstitutional, unlawful, adding that the Industrial Court has the power to compel the government to do the needful.
Akinseye-George, who was represented by a senior counsel in the center, Mr. Kelvin Mejulu, however called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria to expedite action on the process of appointing new judges and justices to fill vacancies in the courts, adding that the judiciary must not short change the public by abandoning regular cases for political ones.
