Nigerian judges will play a significant role in the outcome of the upcoming general elections in 2023. At the risk of sounding apocalyptic, one bad judgment induced by greed can alter the direction of the election and set political actors on a collision the country may not recover from.
This is why the recent admonition by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) is particularly very instructive. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad had warned judges to shun unmerited wealth, vainglory, dishonest disposition and ostentatious lifestyle borne out of corrupt acquaintances and practices. He also urged them to display humanism in them by doing those extraordinary things that people would say they cannot do.
In a normal society, admonition would not be necessary, as it is assumed that those who attain the high offices in the judiciary are persons with the highest repute. But the reverse is becoming the case in Nigeria, hence the need for the Chief Judge to try to call back the attention of the chief officials of the judiciary.
Should the state continue to shirk its responsibility of adequately compensating judicial officials that have served, those in service will believe that it is not rewarding to maintain the lofty virtue of upholding justice without compromise
While the judges have been complicit in the rot that the judiciary finds itself in, the Federal Government has made it easy for judges to be corrupt. Several judges across the country who retired many years ago are owed gratuities and pensions. This is a bad signal for those who currently occupy the position in different courtrooms.
Should the state continue to shirk its responsibility of adequately compensating judicial officials that have served, those in service will believe that it is not rewarding to maintain the lofty virtue of upholding justice without compromise. If we are going to get the best outcome from the judges as the elections approach, the government should immediately nip this in the bud.
Beyond addressing the compensation for retired judicial officers, there is also the need for a review of the compensation of serving judges. The last time salaries of judges were reviewed in the country was by the ’’Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2008,’’ which came into force on February 1, 2007.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, who is the highest ranking judicial official, reportedly earns an annual basic salary of N3,353,972.50 (or N279,497.71 monthly) while other Justices of the Supreme Court and the President of the Court of Appeal receive N2,477,110.00 as basic annual salary or N206,425.83 monthly.
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Justices of the Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the FCT High Court and President of the Industrial High Court, Grand Khadi of State and FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, President FCT and State Customary Court of Appeal earn annual basic salary of N1, 995,430.18 each. In addition, judges of the Federal, State and FCT High Courts, National Industrial Court, Khadi Sharia Court of Appeal in FCT and State, and FCT and State Customary Courts also earn an annual basic salary of N1,804,740 each.
Promises made by Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation and minister of justice in 2019 to ensure a review of the salaries of judicial officers have yet to yield any positive result.
But with the forthcoming elections, Nigeria cannot afford to delay this review any more. A good compensation package will help judges to focus on the task ahead knowing that the state will take care of their needs.
The charge from the Chief Judge is also an indirect call to perfect the autonomy of the judiciary. A situation where the third arm of government has to always depend on the first arm of government, the executive for its financial needs is not ideal. A truly autonomous judiciary will not need to be nudged by a moral sermon.
There in the drive to clean the temple of justice, much depends on the way in which the judiciary is treated. Certainly, it is not possible to satisfy the greed of judicial officials. However, a lot can be done about their needs. And these should be done promptly in order to rescue our democracy from decadence and malfeasance.
