The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has ordered an increment in the salaries of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and other Nigerian judges.
Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae who gave this order in her judgement on Friday in Abuja said “judges have been victims of great injustice” and described their poor salaries as a “national shame”.
She delivered the judgement in a suit seeking an upward review of the emoluments and salaries of judges in the country. The suit was filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sebastine Hon.
Judge, Mrs Obaseki-Osaghae said, “It is unconstitutional and unlawful for the RMAFC to refuse to review the salaries of judges.”
“The judgement is to be served on the 2nd defendant (AGF) immediately,” she said, criticising the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami for arguing that judges have no legal right to have their salaries reviewed upwards.
The judge ordered the RMAFC to “immediately raise the salary of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to N10 million monthly from the current N3.4 million per annum, said to be far below what is earned by his counterparts in other countries.”
The judge also ordered the RMAFC to “review the salaries of other heads of courts and their judges ranging between N9 million to N7 million monthly.”
Mr Hon had filed the suit seeking an order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) compelling the defendants- the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), National Judicial Council (NJC), the National Assembly and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to increase the salaries and allowances of judges in the country.
Mr Hon noted that the highest-paid judicial officer in the country- the Chief Justice of Nigeria, currently earns about N3.4 million per annum, far below what is earned by such an officer in other countries.
He stated that “As a legal practitioner who has practised in all the levels of courts in Nigeria, I know that poor pay for judicial officers is seriously affecting the quality of judgments and rulings those officers are delivering and the discharge of other functions associated with their offices.”
He argued that “the current economic reality in the country requires that the salaries and allowances of the nation’s judges be urgently improved upon.
“All judicial officers currently earn as provided under Part IIB of the Schedule to the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Amendment Act 2008, said the paltry sums have discouraged him from aspiring to become a judge.
“It is about 14 years since the salaries and allowances of judges were last reviewed upward in 2008 despite the loss of value of the naira vis-à-vis other global currencies like the U.S. dollar, the British pound sterling and the European Union (EU) euro, etc.
“As of November 2008 when the amended Act was in force, the exchange rate between the naira and the U.S dollar was N117.74 to USD1.
“The naira has considerably lost its value over time; but judicial officers in Nigeria have been placed on the same salary scale for up to 12 years, namely since 2008.”
