Niger judicial officers get N30m wardrobe allowance

The magistrates and Sharia Court judges had earlier threatened to embark on an industrial action, if government did not meet their demands. The government also, in collaboration with the Commissioner of Police in the state, agreed that security personnel would be given to the magistrates and Sharia court judges. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Nasara Danmalam, made this known on Sunday when he addressed a meeting of the chairmen and secretaries of the Nigerian Bar Association from the North Central Zone in Minna. Magistrates and Sharia court judges in Niger had in a petition last week given the state government a 21-day ultimatum within which to improve the condition under which they work or they would shun the courts indefinitely. The ultimatum will expire on March 21. The AG disclosed that the judges and magistrates would this week get both their wardrobe allowances and security details. Danmalam, who described the petition and ultimatum given the government as one of the challenges being faced by the ministry, said there was no justification for the threatened industrial action because the government had been attending to problems facing the judiciary promptly. He said the issue of vehicle and other demands were already being addressed, expressing the hope that “they (judicial officers) will see the sincerity of government by not going on strike.” The AG also told the meeting that the budget of the ministry had been increased tremendously since the administration came into power which had enabled the ministry to discharge its functions in a dignified manner.]]>