Senate In Disagreement Over Screening Of Supreme Court Nominees Behind Closed Doors, Laments Poor Welfare Of Nigerian Judges

As Omo-Agege, Bamidele Advocate Better Salary Structure For Judges

The poor salary package for Nigerian judges and justices has exposed them to corruption in the course of their duty, the Senate said on Wednesday.

The Senate said the situation has also made judges and justices vulnerable to tendencies that undermined their sacred duty in the dispensation of judges.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Right and Legal matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele expressed this concern of the Senate during its screening session of Eight Justices nominated and sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for approval.

President Buhari had nominated them from the Appeal Court to be screened and approved as justices of the Supreme Court.

Before the screening session, senators were locked in a heated disagreement over mode for adoption for the screening. The committee after debating back and forth settled for an open screening.

While Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP/Enugu North) raised an observation that it would be better for the screening of the Supreme Court judges to be held under closed doors away from the public.

Senator James Manager (PDP/Delta Central) kicked against Utazi’s observation noting that since 1999 that he has been in the Senate, there was no time that Supreme Court judge nominees were screened behind closed doors.

He insisted that Senator Utazi’s observation lacked precedence and should be discarded since there were interested members of the public especially civil society organisations like the Nigerian Bar Association and media in attendance.

Senators Peter Nwaoboshi, Bala Na’Allah and Abdullahi Adamu agreed with Senator Manager’s insistence that the screening of the Supreme Court judge nominees while Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP/Enugu West) subtly backed Utazi but said that members of the judiciary committee could go into a closed-door session without the nominees so that modalities for the screening would be perfected and adopted.

Efforts by the Judiciary Committee Chairman, Senator Bamidele to subject the observations to a vote so that the issue would be resolved also hit a brick wall as immediately he asked that the issue be put to vote, some Senators said it would be better if the committee’s voting decision was taken behind the cameras.

The arguments almost stalled the screening process but interventions by ranking senators and House of Representatives members in attendance led by the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Hon. Onofiok Luke later assuaged the feelings of aggrieved Senators.

Senator Bamidele later ruled that based on the interventions, the screening of the eight Supreme Court Justices should be held in the open which was eventually done in the presence of everybody in room 231 the venue of the exercise.

President Buhari’s nominees for Apex Court are Hon. Justice Lawal Garba, North West; Hon. Justice Helen M. Ogunwumiju, South West; Hon. Justice Addu Aboki, North West; Hon. Justice I. M. M. Saulawa, North West; Hon. Justice Adamu Jauro, North East; Hon. Justice Samuel C. Oseji, South-South; Hon. Justice Tijjani Abubakar, North East; and Hon. Justice Emmanuel A. Agim, South-South.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), in his opening remarks, bemoaned the poor welfare packages given judicial officers and Justices in the country.

“The present situation in the country as regards the welfare of judges and Justices, call for a major intervention.

“Salaries and allowances of Judicial officers, Judges and Justices in Nigeria, were last reviewed in 2008 through an Act of Parliament.

“As at that time, the exchange rate of Naira to a US dollar was N117 as against N467 it is now clearly showing that Judges and Justices Salaries have been static over the years and even depreciating in value,” he said.

Specifically, Senator Bamidele said presently, the take-home pay of the Justices of Supreme Court per annum as far as basic salary is concerned is N2.477million, while those of the Court of Appeal is N1.995million and Judges of the High Court, N1.804million.

According to him, on monthly basis, the total take-home pay of Justices of Supreme Court individually is N753,000 while those of the Court of Appeal, are paid N608,000 each and the High Court Judges, N556,000.00 each.

“The enumerated poor take-home packages for Judges and Justices, clearly, show that they are not being fortified in any way against temptation on the line of duty,” he said.

He added that in South Africa, the Chief Judge collects the highest salary aside members of his family, adequately taken care of, as required measures against temptation and corruption.

Buttressing Senator Bamidele’s position, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege said issues raised were very critical and requiring urgent attention by the government, including the National Assembly where a bill for upward review of 12-year-old Salary structure of the Judicial officers, Judges and Justices can be sponsored and expeditiously considered.