The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, on Monday, May 20, expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s proposal to increase judicial office holders’ salaries and allowances by 300 percent.
This proposal also received backing from the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMAFC), among other critical stakeholders. These endorsements were voiced during a one-day public hearing on a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe the Salaries and Allowances and Fringe Benefits of Judicial Office Holders in Nigeria and Related Matters, 2024,” organized by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC – Borno North).
In his presentation, Fagbemi highlighted the historical challenges of improving judicial remuneration and emphasized the innovative aspects of the proposed bill. “The Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) Bill 2024 is quite innovative. Besides the salary increment, it considers the unique administrative structure and operation of the judiciary,” he stated.
Fagbemi stressed the importance of this bill for ensuring judicial independence and integrity, noting that judicial salaries have remained unchanged for over 16 years. “This stagnation is unacceptable and counterproductive to meaningful judicial reform,” he remarked. He urged the Senate to support and pass the bill to promote the rule of law and national interest.
Further, Fagbemi announced the formation of a Working Group to review the Constitution and relevant laws, aiming to address the evolving justice needs of Nigeria. This group will propose comprehensive reforms for the judiciary and the overall administration of the justice system.
Details to follow…
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