Buhari's Enhanced Salaries for Judges Must Align with Court Judgment, Law Professor Says

A Professor of Law and President of the Center for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George has urged the federal government to ensure that the enhanced salaries for judicial workers recently approved by President Muhammadu Buhari aligns with the order of the court.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami had announced the president's immediate approval for increment in the salaries of judicial officers at a function in Port Harcourt, Rivers

State few months ago.

The approval though coming about four months after the Industrial Court made an order to that effect is being commended by the center.

Besides Akinseye-George also called for the enactment of new laws that would remove salaries of judicial officers from the category of political office holders for the scheme to run successfully.

He spoke yesterday in Abuja, at the opening of a two-day workshop for training of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) Rangers.

The objective of the training was to inculcate in the participants improved knowledge of the ACJA and Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and to motivate them to take up the task of looking out for ways of ensuring compliance with the law by law enforcement personnel and other stakeholders of the system of criminal justice administration.

The ACJA or ACJL Rangers are expected to create awareness and sensitise members of the public as to their roles in promoting effective implementation of the law.

He said, "The CSLS notes with delight the directive issued by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) to commence implementation of improved salaries and working conditions of judicial officers.

"We urge the commission to act quickly on the president's directive so that the 2023 budget can reflect the review. In doing so, the commission must give due regard to the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) that prescribed certain amounts as befitting salaries for different levels of judicial officers."