The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has thrown his weight behind the proposed 300 percent increase in the salaries and allowances of judicial office holders in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
This endorsement comes as President Bola Tinubu seeks to improve the welfare of judicial officers and promote the independence of the Nigerian judiciary system.
The National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC), among others, have also endorsed the proposal.
The stakeholders spoke during a one-day public hearing on a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe the Salaries and Allowances and Fringe Benefit of Judicial Office Holders in Nigeria and Related Matters, 2024.”
The public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North).
Fagbemi urged the committee to note that the efforts to improve the remuneration of judicial officers in the country have a chequered history.
He praised the Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) Bill 2024 as “quite innovative,” citing its consideration of the judiciary’s administrative structure and operation.
According to him, the bill will ensure judicial independence and integrity, and the current 16-year stagnation in salary scales is “totally unacceptable.”
Fagbemi urged the Senate to support its passage in the national interest of promoting the rule of law.
He also announced plans to establish a working group on the review of the Constitution and relevant laws, focusing on provisions aimed at achieving a judiciary that responds to the evolving justice needs of Nigerians.
Recall that in March, President Bola Tinubu had asked the Senate to consider and pass an executive bill seeking to establish a new salary, allowance, and official benefit for judicial officers.
The president’s request was contained in a letter read by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Tinubu argued that the bill would promote the independence and capacity of the Nigerian judiciary system.
