Enhanced wages for judicial officers

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for an increase in the remuneration of the Chief Justice of the Federation (CJN), Chief Judges, magistrates and other judicial officers. The call was made during the recent national conference of the NBA in Abuja, which dwelt partly on the remuneration of judicial officers and other themes. Enhancing the wages of judicial officers will guarantee access to justice.  

The NBA also believes that without addressing the poor wages of judicial officers, access to justice will be seriously affected. It also requested that the remuneration of judicial officers should be removed from the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and set up a separate body to cater for them.

Therefore, it calls for a 200 per cent raise in wages for judicial officers.  Earlier, the RMAFC had proposed a 114 per cent increment based on the new salary structure.

 It is good that the NBA has joined other bodies and groups to draw attention to the poor wages of judicial officers and the urgent need to increase them. Good enough, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has spoken in favour of raising the wages of our judicial officers. We urge the president to expedite action in that regard.

There is need for financial autonomy for the judiciary as an independent arm of government. Having financial independence will make the judiciary not to kowtow to other arms of government, especially the executive. Available statistics show that Nigerian judicial officers are among the least paid in Africa, when compared to their counterparts in Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia.

This is probably why the wages of judicial officers need to be increased in line with the current socio-economic realities. Unfortunately, the salaries of judges and other judicial officers have been static since 2007.

The soaring exchange rate has further depreciated the value of the naira and at the same time affected the wages of all workers, including judicial officers. Giving judges enhanced wages will make them resist corruption and go a long way to improve the dispensation of justice. As a critical arm of government, the judiciary plays an important role in deepening democracy and the rule of law.

Besides, the judges should be provided with work modern tools that will lessen the burden of their stressful job. They also need well equipped offices and conducive environment to discharge their duties.  Beyond the enhanced wages for judicial officers, the security of judicial officers must also be prioritised.

It is sad that some judicial officers have been attacked, kidnapped and a few others killed in the line of duty. We call on the government to review the security of judges and other judicial officers. The judiciary needs to be fully computerised to enable judges to speedily dispense justice.

The delay in the nation’s justice delivery system does not bode well for access to justice. The slow pace of justice system is regrettable. There is need to change the ugly narrative.  For the computerisation of the judiciary to be effective, the judicial officers should be trained for optimum performance. The Nigerian judiciary should operate in line with the best international practices.

 In the same vein, we call for a total reform of the justice delivery system. The challenges that impede the optimal functioning of the judiciary should be addressed forthwith.  The reforms should be able to equip them to dispense justice fairly, and without fear or favour. With improved welfare package, errant judicial officers can easily be detected and adequately sanctioned.  

Although the independence of the judiciary is constitutionally guaranteed, but this constitutional provision is usually observed in the breach.  The harassment of judicial officers by the executive arm of government using security operatives should be a thing of the past. Similarly, judges that give conflicting judgements should be sanctioned as well as those involved in bribery and corruption. 

We commend the judicial officers for their good works despite their poor wages and poor funding of the judiciary.  We believe that judicial officers can discharge their duties very well with enhanced remuneration.