The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) has demanded the immediate appointment of additional Justices of the Supreme Court to achieve the full complement of 21 Justices of the Supreme Court (JSCs) as prescribed by Section 230(1 )(B) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
It is instructive to note that with the recent retirement of a JSC, Justice Amina Adamu-Augie, the number of Supreme Court justices has reduced to 11 instead of the stipulated 21 JSCs
In a statement made available on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Lawal, the NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) stated that the retirement of Justice Adamu-Augie had increased the workload of the JSCs
The NBA boss also called for the amendment of the Constitution to reduce the cases that would be heard by the apex court.
The statement reads in part, “The NBA President expressed concerns that the exit of Hon. Justice Adamu-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.”
Maikyau also disclosed that the NBA had engaged in conversations with the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the remuneration of judicial officers.
The statement further disclosed that, “The NBA President stated that President Bola Tinubu has directed a presidential working group to harmonise the recommendations from RMAFC, NBA, and NJC, with the view to include the outcome in the 2024 budget appropriation”.
It added that the NBA had also proposed Lifestyle Allowance, Dual Responsibility Allowance, Frequent Transfer Allowance, and Long Service Allowance in recognition of the peculiar demands of judicial office holders.
Maikyau stated that the NBA recommended the delinking of judicial remuneration from that of the civil service, to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Maikyau has commiserated with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, over the fire incident at the Supreme Court complex on Monday.
“The incident which reportedly affected the chambers of some Justices calls into question the integrity and safety of courts’ infrastructures in Nigeria. The NBA has therefore called for an investigation into the incident to forestall future recurrence,” the statement added.
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