The court held that the stagnation of the salaries and allowances of the nation’s judges since 2008 when they were last increased is not only embarrassing but an injustice.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Respite may have finally come the way of embattled Nigerian judicial officers that have been suffering the injustice of poor salaries as a National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, ordered the National Assembly, the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to urgently initiate measures to ensure upward review of the salaries and allowances of judges in the country.
Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, in a judgment held that the stagnation of the salaries and allowances of the nation’s judges since 2008 when they were last increased is not only embarrassing but an injustice deliberately done to judicial officers, who toil daily to ensure justice for all.
The judgment was on a suit marked: NICABJ/142/2022 filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Sebastine Hon.
Justice Obaseki-Osaghae ordered that her judgment be promptly served on the RMAFC for immediate action.
She ordered that the highest judicial officer, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), should henceforth earn N10 million monthly.
According to the judge, other Justices of the Supreme Court and the President of the Court of Appeal should earn N9 million monthly while other Justices of the Court of Appeal and Chief Judges of the High Courts of States and Federal Capital Territory, President of the National Industrial Court, Grand Kadis of Sharia Courts of Appeal and President of Customary Courts are to earn N8 m monthly.
The judge further ordered that other judges of the Federal High Court, High Court of States, National Industrial Court, High Court of the FCT, Sharia Courts of Appeal, and Customary Court of Appeal are to earn N7 million monthly.
Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, who frowned at the disposition of the National Assembly, RMAFC and the AGF to the case, awarded N500,000 cost against each of them, to be paid to the claimant.