It is laudable that President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill seeking a 300 per cent increase in salaries and allowances for judicial officers. The bill that sought to improve the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of judicial officers by 300 per cent was passed by the Senate in June. It was earlier passed by the House of Representatives in March. The action by the House of Representatives followed an Executive Bill by President Tinubu entitled: ‘A Bill for an Act to prescribe the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of judicial office holders in Nigeria and for related matters.’
The new salaries and allowances will take effect from January 1, 2024, as their provisions were already captured in the 2024 appropriation. By the new law, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) will earn N64 million annually and N5.39 million monthly. Other justices of the Supreme Court will earn N5.04 million per month.
While the President of the Court of Appeal will take home N5.2 million monthly, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, President of the National Industrial Court; Chief Judge of FCT High Court; Grand Kadi of FCT Sharia Court of Appeal; President of the FCT Customary Court of Appeal; Chief Judge of State High Court; Grand Kadi of State Sharia Court of Appeal and President of the State Customary Court of Appeal will take home N4.1million monthly. Other judges will earn a monthly salary of N3.6 million.
The Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters Basheer Lado, in announcing the offer, said that by prioritizing the financial well-being of the judicial officers, the President has reinforced the integrity of the justice system and also set a new standard for leadership which truly values the hard work and sacrifices of all Nigerian workers.
With this gesture, the President has also demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers as well as recognising the role of the judicial officers in the dispensation of justice.
The last time the salaries and allowances of judges were reviewed was 17 years ago, despite a court order directing the federal government to carry out a review of their pay package. The pay rise by Tinubu is therefore in order. The judiciary is an important arm of the government just like the executive and the legislature. Being the third arm of the government, it should not be left in the lurch.
The judiciary remains the last hope of the common man. For justice to be dispensed, judicial officers should be adequately remunerated. Evidence abounds that judicial officers in the country are poorly paid. In recent years, the judiciary has come under suspicion as some judgements emanating from some of our courts are alleged to be influenced.
The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had in its report on corruption pattern and trend in Nigeria for 2023, ranked judges as first among collectors of cash bribes among other public officials. According to the report, Nigerian judges and magistrates received the highest amount of bribes among public officials in 2023, surpassing the police, customs, and military personnel
In October 2023, a retiring Supreme Court Justice, Musa Dattijo Abubakar, had in his valedictory speech, lamented the rot in the judiciary. Other prominent Nigerians have lampooned the rot in the judiciary and called for an overhaul of the judiciary.
The judicial officers should sit up and reciprocate the gesture by the government. Let them see the enhancement in their welfare as empowerment to resist temptations to compromise justice. To whom much is given, much is also expected. However, beyond increasing the salaries and allowances of judicial officers, there is need to rid the judiciary of corrupt officials.
The slow pace of justice delivery is lamentable. It is sad that cases drag for years before being dispensed. The other snag is the awaiting trial syndrome where suspects often overstay the time they would have spent on conviction. Since justice delayed is justice denied, the judiciary should sit up and ensure speedy dispensation of justice.
There is urgent need for comprehensive judicial reforms that will lead to the computerization of the courts and the entire judicial system. The manpower shortage in the judiciary is not in doubt. That is why the judicial officers, especially the judges are overburdened with many cases. Some of the judges are also not IT-compliant, hence they write their judgements in longhand. Judicial officers, including judges, must try to be computer-literate and be willing to deploy technology to enhance the efficiency of the judiciary.