Di House of Representatives for Nigeria don pass di bill wey go increase di salary and allowances of judges for Nigeria.
Di bill bin pass through di third reading on Wednesday 20 March for di House as Honourable Julius Ihonvbere wey dey represent Owan East and West Federal Constituency, Edo State bin read for di floor of di House.
According to di bill, di Chief Justice of Nigeria go begin earn as high as N5.3 million monthly and e include oda allowances wey dem go dey pay am per month.
Dis mean say di salary and oda benefits wey di Chief Justice dey earn go increase annually more dan wetin e be bifor.
Di bill also state say oda judges of di Supreme Court go dey collect a salary of 4.2 million naira per month and di president of di Court of Appeal go collect monthly salary of 4.4 million naira.
Di judges for di Court of Appeal go collect a monthly salary of 3.7 million naira as junior judges go earn 3.5 million salary per month.
For di bill, dis monthly salary bin include dia full salary, daily allowances wey fuel supply and vehicle maintenance also dey included.
Di bill bin amend di Act wey prescribe di ‘Salaries, Allowances and Fringe Benefits of Judicial Office Holders for Nigeria and for Related Matters’, according to di document wey local media Channels TV bin receive.
If finally signed into law, na wetin dis judicial officers go dey earn be dis:
Annual salary of Judicial office holders
Chief Justice of Nigeria-
Di CJN go collect im salary monthly, allowances per month, estacode, duty allowances, vehicle loan, gratuity and im go pay for im professional development assistant from di pool of di judicial council.
- Annual basic salary- N13,462,617.95 while monthly salary go be N1,121,884.83,
- Annual regular allowances– N51,157,948.21 and monthly regular allowances go be N4,263,162.35,
- Non-regular allowances: Leave Allowance) – N6,731,308.98 (wen applicable),
- Duty Tour Allowance- N142,500 (per night),
- Estacode $2,000 (per night),
- Severance gratuity – N80,775,707.70 (afta im complete in tenure),
- Motor vehicle loan N53,850,471.80 (repay bifor end of tenure).
Oda Justices of di Supreme Court
Each of dem dey entitled to basic monthly salary, allowances per month, estacode, furniture allowances and vehicle loan.
Dem go also receive gratuity and dem go pay for dia professional development assistant from di pool of di judicial council and also cova dia utilities and security
- Annual basic salary- N9,913,394.22 and dem go earn N826,116.19 monthly salary,
- Annual regular allowances– N50,558,310.52 and dem go earn N4,213,192.54 monthly regular allowances,
- Non-regular allowances– N9,913,394.22 for rent (annually),
- Leave Allowance: N4,956,697.11 (wen applicable),
- Duty Tour Allowance- N100,000 (per night),
- Estacode- $1,300 (per night),
- Severance gratuity- N29,740,182.66 (afta successful tenure),
- Furniture Allowance- N29,740,182.66,
- Motor vehicle loan- N39,653,576.88 (repay bifor tenure end),
President of di Court of Appeal
Annual basic salary– N9,913,394.22 and go collect N826,116.19 monthly salary,
Appeal court judges dey entitled to N52,540,989.37 annual regular allowances and go collect monthly allowances of N4,478,415.78.
Non-regular allowances– N9,913,394.22 Rent (annually),
Leave Allowance – N4,956,697.11 (when applicable),
Duty Tour Allowance- N100,000 (per night)
Estacode- $1,300 (per night)
Severance gratuity- N29,740,182.66 (afta successful tenure)
Furniture Allowance – N29,740,182.66
Motor vehicle loan- N39,653,576.88 as (repay bifor tenure end),
Legal expert tok how e go beta di judicary
One ogbonge legal practitioner, Kayode Oluwafemi, Esq, tell BBC News Pidgin say di increment for di salaries and allowances of di judicial officials go improve di judiciary.
Im add say even di salary wey dem just dey plan to increase for di judges na wetin some lawyers dey earn for one week but dis new bill go atleast help di judges to beta deliver judgement wey no dey influenced by any individual.
“Ovatime, dis kain moni na wetin some lawyers dey make for one month. Evribodi get price, just be say who go pay your worth neva come and wen dat pesin come, you give in. But at di end of di day, we go realise say dis increased salaries go provide for more sanity and judges go live beta life.”
“Judges go fit drive beta car, send children to beta schools and wear good clothes becos dis job wey dem dey do dey take away dia freedom. Di judicial council dey dictate wen dem go travel, determine who go fit visit and all dis tins gatz get beta compensation for di freedom wey dem don take away from dem.”
Di Benin-based legal advocate add say di salaries and allowances still dey below standard but e go make more sense if President Tinubu sign am as a mata of urgency so dat e go beta di judicial system.
Barrister Kayode tok say nobodi go fit bribe any judge if dem get beta salary and allowances wey go fit cater for dia welfare.
“Even di moni wey dem increase no still dey enough becos say e dey below standard wey chief justices suppose dey collect sake of say anybodi fit give dem pass dat amount.”
“ Na veri good step in di right direction and e go help our judicial system if di president sign am and dis increment go also help di judges as di kontri dey face serious economic situations for dis time,” Barrister Kayode tok.
For January, di Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) bin call for di increase of di basic salaries of all judicial officers.
Dem write to di Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) say make dem do 200% review of di allowances and oda benefits wey judicial officials dey earn.
Supreme Court na di highest court for Nigeria and na dat court get di final say on di biggest legal issues across di kontri.
Di Chief Justice of Nigeria na im be di head of di court wey get at least 13 oda justices dem.
Na di National Judicial Council (NJC) dey recommend di justices appointment to di president.
Lord Olukayode Ariwoola na di current Chief Justice of Nigeria afta di Senate confam am two years ago.
According to di Revenue Mobilization Allocation And Fiscal commission for dia document on Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Feb., 2007 – June 2009), di CJN bin dey entitled to annual basic salary of N3.3million bifor and wit oda allowances, e go be N6.7 million annually.
Bifor, di Justice of di Supreme Court and President of di Court Of Appeal dey earn about N10million annually including all allowances.
But wit dis new bill, dia salaries and allowances don increase, and ogbonge Barrister Kayode tok say dis go fit stop corruption for di judiciary.
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