NBA demands immediate appointment of 10 Supreme Court Justices

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has demanded the immediate appointment of additional Justices to achieve the full complement of 21 Justices of the Supreme Court.

The association said the call was in line with the Constitution while urging the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to accommodate the expansion of the threshold for the number of justices to be appointed to the Supreme Court.

It also called for the reduction of the number of matters that get to the Supreme Court by limiting the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to certain constitutional matters.

In a statement by the President of the association, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) on Tuesday, the body noted that the completion of the number of the Supreme Court Justices was in line with Section 230(1)(B) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The NBA President made the call while giving his speech at the valedictory court session recently held in honour of Justice Amina Adamu Augie, at the Supreme Court Complex, Abuja.

The statement reads in part: “The NBA President expressed concerns that the exit of Hon. Justice Augie from the Bench of the Supreme Court “has further reduced the number of Justices of this Court, with the attendant increase in the workload of the already overworked/overburdened and, unfortunately, poorly remunerated justices.

“The NBA President noted that it has become imperative that the Nigerian Constitution be amended to increase the threshold for the number of justices to be appointed to the Supreme Court and to reduce the number of matters that get to the Supreme Court by limiting the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to certain constitutional matters.

“Giving update about the NBA’s engagement with the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the remuneration of judicial officers, the NBA President stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has directed a presidential working group to harmonize the recommendations from RMAFC, NBA, and NJC, with the view to include the outcome in the 2024 budget appropriation.

“He added that the NBA has also proposed a new set of allowances in recognition of the peculiar demands of judicial office holders which include: Lifestyle Allowance, Dual Responsibility Allowance, Frequent Transfer Allowance, and Long Service Allowance.

“Mr. Maikyau further noted that the NBA has recommended the delinking of judicial remuneration from that of the civil service, to strengthen the perception of judicial independence and to provide the necessary safeguard and reassurance to judicial officers”.

While commiserating with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola over the fire incident at the Supreme Court complex, the NBA called for an investigation into the incident to forestall future recurrence.

The association noted that the incident which reportedly affected the chambers of some Justices called into question the integrity and safety of courts’ infrastructures in Nigeria.