Appeal court president asks FG to ‘urgently’ review salaries of judges

Monica Dongban-Mensem, president of the court of appeal, says salaries of judicial officers have not been reviewed for over 10 years.

Speaking on Monday at the opening of the 2021/22 legal year in Abuja, the appellate court president said the salary structure of judicial officers in Nigeria ranks poorly when compared to their counterparts in other African and Commonwealth countries.

She said according to the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) who is the head of the judiciary earns N279, 497 as monthly salary, while the other justices on the supreme court bench earn N206,425, exclusive of benefits and allowances.

Dongban-Mensem said she receives the sum of N206,425 monthly, while other justices on the bench of the court of appeal go home with N166,285 every month.

She said the last time salaries of judicial officers were reviewed in Nigeria was in 2008, when the upward review was made to take effect on February 1, 2007.

“I implore the government of the federation and states to urgently review the salaries and allowances of judicial officers and staff,” she said.

“The salaries of justices are static with no graduation as in the civil and public service. We have been on one salary grade for over 10 years now.

“May I also call on government to increase financial allocations that will enable us to introduce technical innovations that would improve adjudication.”

Reviewing the court’s performance in the previous legal year, Dongban-Mensem said a total of 5,092 appeals and 9,249 motions were filed in 20 divisions of the court between September 2020 and August 2021.