National president, Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Saidu Safiyanu Umar, yesterday, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent the Bill, seeking to recognise magistrates as judicial officers.
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Umar made the plea in a statement he signed and made available to journalists.
He also pleaded with President Tinubu to elongate the years of service for magistrates from 60 to 65.
He stressed that magistrate courts are at the grassroots, which perform the bulk of the judicial work and the nearest court to the masses.
He said the code of conduct for judicial officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognised magistrates as judicial officers.
However, they were excluded on remuneration and welfare, leaving magistrates as neither judicial officers nor civil servants without well defined conditions for service.
In the statement, the association called for the harmonisation and unification of the salary structure for all magistrates in the country.
He said the bill seeking the constitutional amendments of section 318 of CFRN to recognise magistrates as judicial officers was rejected by the former president.
“Magistrates Association of Nigeria is an umbrella body of all the magistrates in Nigeria with Branches spread across the 36 states and FCT.
“The association was formed in 1970 at Benin the then Bendel State and the 1st president of the association is Justice Belgore former CJN,” he said.
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