An executive Bill which is seeking for the review the Salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of judicial office holders across the country scaled Second Reading on the floor of the Senate on Thursday.
Our correspondent reports that the Bill was presented to both chambers of the Parliament by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and it had since passed Second Reading in the House of Representatives.
Presenting the Lead Debate, Senator representing Kwara South and Deputy Senate Leader,
Oyelola Ashiru disclosed that Bill, when passed into law “seeks to prescribe salaries, allowances and fringe benefits for Judicial Officers in order to nip in the bud, the prolonged stagnation in their “remuneration so as to reflect the contemporary socio-economic realities of our time.
” Similarly, the Bill intends to unify the salary structure as well as allowances and fringe benefits of Judicial Officers Holders both in the Federal and at the State levels. This proposed legal framework, undoubtedly, will bring about significant improvement in the welfare, capacity and independence of the Judiciary, which have been contentious issues of public discourse over the years. ”
The Deputy Senate Leader further maintained that “the purport and intent of this Bill are in conformity with the current administration’s resolve to strengthen the country’s Judiciary and the criminal justice system, with a view to ensuring its independence in the performance of its constitutional role, as the arbiter of the temple of justice.”
He implored his colleagues ” to support the ‘expeditious passage of this Bill in view of its importance to the socio-economic and political development of this country. ”

By the provisions of the bill, judges are to get over 800 per cent pay rise, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria is to earn N64.6m annual basic salary and allowances, far higher than what obtains currently.

Other justices of the Supreme Court are to earn annual basic salaries and regular allowances of over N60m annually.

The new salary structure is expected to come into effect from 1 January, 2024.

Contributing to the debate, Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole said “the prevailing economic conditions demand that we review wages, taken into account the rate of inflation.”

Senator Oshiomhole said that there should be a clause in the Bill that will adjust the wages of the judicial officers based on the level of inflation yearly.
He said: ” At the time we passed the budget last year at N750 per dollar, the overall cost of living compared to what it is today is different. The issue of salary administration needs not be brought to Parliament for debate.
“We need to fix a clause that says, provided that every year, within that law, there should be a provision of appropriate organs to review and take into account the rate of inflation and adjust the wages of both Chief Judge of the Federation and all the judges that are covered by this act.”
Senator Abba Moro also spoke in support of the Bill as he noted that given the rate of present inflation, judicial officers must not be allowed to fall into temptation.
In his own submission, Senator representing Kano North and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin described the Bill as laudable.
“They can’t agitate like other workers..They have been crying in silence. If we take the judiciary seriously, we must also take their remuneration seriously.”
After scaling second reading, President of the Senate referred the Bill to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to report back in four weeks.

Former lawmaker who represented Adamawa North in the Senate, Senator Elisha Abbo has been directed to apologize to the Appeal Court President, Justice Chioma Iheme and the entire judiciary over the allegations of bribery or be prepared to face court action for false allegations.

Senator Abo, had accused the President of the Court of Appeal, Monica Dongban-Mensen, of collecting bribes.

He said the Court of Appeal has become a “cash and carry point” while calling some judges “judicial bandits.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of Akwa Ibom state, Uwemedimo Nwoko, insists that the former senator must either be prepared for court action to establish his bribery allegations or tender apologies for making unsubstantiated allegations.

He further notes that the former lawmaker has not produced any evidence to substantiate his allegations of bribery against the judiciary.

On 1st February Abbo in at a press conference accused the President of the Court of Appeal and others of taking bribes in the judgment that ousted him from the Senate.

Elderstates man and leader of the Ijaw nation Edwin Clark has reacted to the Supreme Court judgement that affirmed Siminalaye Fubara as duly elected Governor of Rivers State.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday he said his joy knows no bound to hear that the Governor has been affirmed.
“I could not sleep on Wednesday even with my sleeping medicines when it was announced that the judgment on Rivers State Governor election will be on Thursday, we thank God for the judgment and victory, I had expected it to be this way.

“You can imagine my joy, many years ago some of us practicing Lawyers we almost lost confidence in the Judiciary as the cases were going but I always believe that once there is a good leadership in the Supreme Court.
“Our Supreme Court is one of the best in the World.
“Cases of interference and so on. There may be some but they are not many, they are very few. So last night when it was announced that Rivers State Supreme Court judgement would be given today, I tried to sleep but couldn’t. And I took my normal sleeping tablets I couldn’t, then I knew something was worrying me.
“So this morning I stayed in bed waiting for the judgement to be announced. 10am there was nothing but not long after that, they said Tonye Cole petition has been dismissed for lack of evidence so I jumped up and shouted Halleluia but I knew he was going to win because almost every petitioner had withdrawn his case except the APC candidate chief Toye Cole.
“It was not easy to convince him, he was thinking he could win but God makes governors, God makes Presidents. God has made Fubara the Governor of Rivers State for the first four years and he will be re elected for his second term to complete his 8years.
“He has won, Nigerians like him, I listened to all commentries, even though he knew that it was unconstitutional going against the voice of the people and court process in order to brocker peace, he made series of sacrifices which he should not have made.
“He took an oath to keep the constitution of Nigeria
However, it is all over now. The 27 members of the Rivers state House of Assembly who lost their their seats when they moved to APC, their seats remain vacant until INEC conducts another set of elections and if they want go and face it they would be defeated because they are not sincere, they are not patriotic, they are not original in their minds.
“27 persons being pushed around by an individual, what a shame.
It is unconstitutional because a Governor cannot sign a budget and go to represent that budget before people who have been disqualified as members of the House.
In another statement he personally signed he said,
“With a grateful heart to God Almighty, and on behalf of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), I congratulate His Excellency, Siminalaye Fubara, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, on his victory at the Supreme Court today, 25th January, 2024.
“Now that all legal tussles are settled, it is my prayer and hope, that the Governor Fubara will settle down to carry out the task of governance in Rivers State, which the people has elected him to. I implore him to extend the olive branch to all opponents.
“On a lighter note, with full authority now to sign with the red pen, I sincerely hope that he will not disappoint his supporters, all who stood for him and all Rivers State people; that he will also bring together every one, for the good and best interest of the State.
“May the good Lord bless him and give him the courage and understanding he will need to perform his duties to the satisfaction of the people of Rivers State and indeed to Nigerians.
In the same vein, he also congratulate Agbu Kefas, the Executive Governor of Taraba State, on his victory at the Supreme Court, today”