Judges’ welfare top of Buhari’s agenda, says Malami

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, says the welfare of judges is of utmost concern to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking at the legal year ceremony of the court of appeal on Monday, Malami said despite the revenue challenges faced by the nation, efforts to improve the welfare of judicial officers will be completed in accordance with extant constitutional and statutory provisions.

“I wish to recall that one of the cardinal issues raised by the president of the court of appeal in her lordship’s address last year was the issue of the welfare of our meticulous and committed judicial officers,” he said

“The government of the day is not oblivious of this persistent challenge. Amidst our revenue challenges as a nation, coupled with various demands for wage increase, one certain assurance I can make to this noble gathering is that the improvement of the remuneration and conditions of service of our judicial officers is uppermost on the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

On July 15, an industrial high court in Abuja ordered the upward review of judges’ salaries.

Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, the presiding judge, said the salaries of judges and justices have stagnated for over 14 years.

She held that despite the increased workload of judicial officers, they have continued to suffer in penury owing to their “extremely low salaries and allowances”, which the court described as “very embarrassing”.

Consequently, she ordered the federal government to commence a monthly payment of N10 million to the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) while that of the president of the court of appeal was raised to N9 million.