AGF Defends Judicial Officers’ Salary Bill Following Year-Long Election Dispute

Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Lateef Fagbemi(SAN), said the bill on salaries for Judicial officials would ensure integrity and independence.

Fagbemi disclosed this during a public hearing on “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe the Salaries, Allowances and Fringe Benefits of Judicial Office Holders in Nigeria” organised by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on Monday in Abuja.

To recall, the Executive bill was forwarded by President Bola Tinubu to the 10th Senate Assembly for approval, which scaled through a second reading last week.

The bill would birth an appropriate and commensurate remuneration that would ensure judicial independence and integrity, Fagbemi stated.

He further expressed,

The present-day but sad reality is that the judiciary has stagnated on the same salary scale for over 16 years. This is totally unacceptable and entirely antithetical to any meaningful judicial reform.

I strongly commend this bill for your kind consideration and do urge the Senate to support and ensure the passage of this bill in the national interest of promoting the rule of law, he said.

Also speaking at the event were Minister of Economy, Mr Wale Edun, who stated that

the swift passage of the bill is to the benefit of the judiciary in particular and Nigerians in general.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, who will be retiring in a few days, said that the salaries of judicial officers were last reviewed in 2007.

Meanwhile, given Nigeria’s economic reality, the government has not improved the minimum wage.

Read: Osun Assembly Approves Politicians’ Salary Increase Despite Citizens’ Hardship, Sends Bill to Adeleke

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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