The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, has requested the Senate as a matter of necessity to amend the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as contained in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The CJN argued that if the amendment was effected, it would enable all appeal cases to terminate in the apex court.
Also, he noted that if the jurisdiction of Supreme Court was amended, this would foster timely dispensation of justice and reduce the stress that the heavy burden of appeals weighs on Justices.
Muhammad made the request when the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters paid him courtesy visit.
According to him, the number of appeals pending at the court and those received so far, this year, were worrisome.
“Many of us don’t sleep for 12 hours as recommended by stress managers. We don’t write judgement merely by stating that so, so so and so cases were filed by this and that, and end it up by saying appeal is hereby dismissed or upheld. We have to give reasons, which is the bedrock of judgment writing.
“Nigerian Judiciary is one of the best in the world; and if nobody tells you, I am telling you today.
“The Constitution enjoins the Supreme Court to have 21 justices, yet we are having less than that number. We will have to appoint more justices to fill the gap soon,” the CJN stated.
Stating further, Justice Muhammad said apart from the Supreme Court of Nigeria being the busiest apex court in the world, the entire Nigerian judiciary was still the best globally.
Meanwhile, the CJN has lamented that the judiciary is seriously underfunded and that budgetary allocation of the sector was simply poor. He asked the Senate to wade into the matter.
‘’If you see the amount allocated to the judiciary, it is far less than what is given to some ministries. Salaries of the judicial officers are also stale for over 12 years running, and I hope you would look at all that’’, Muhammad queried.
Earlier in his remark, chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, explained the imperative of their visit and said both the Senate Standing Orders 2015, and the 1999 Constitution empower the Committee to oversee the Federal Judiciary.
He however, noted that because the Judiciary plays a key role in the sustenance of democratic values, it was needful for the legislature to intervene to ensure independence of the Judiciary.
Similarly, the committee visited the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa. As the CJN did, she also asked the Senate to intervene in the poor funding of the judiciary.
Bulkachuwa disclosed that the Court of Appeal has 16 divisions but that the infrastructure is decayed, just as the shortage of staff was major challenge.
Solomon Ayado, Abuja
