The National Industrial Court, on Friday, ordered the immediate upward review of judges’ salaries.
An Abuja court ruled that the minimum monthly salary of N10 million should be paid to the Chief Justice of Nigeria ( CJN) and N9 million be paid each justice of the Supreme Court.
Delivering judgment, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, directed the National Assembly (NASS), the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission ( RMAFC), Attorney-General of the Federation & Minister of Justice ( AGF) and National Judicial Commission ( NJC), to comply with the directive of the court to ensure immediate compliance with its order.
The court held that by the combined interpretation of the provision of section 4 (1) (2) of the 1999 constitution as amended and the first schedule of 6 (1b) of the RMAFC Act 2004, that the first and second defendants did not have the power to neglect, by failing or perform their constitutional and statutory duties of reviewing judges’ salaries since 2008.
Obaseki-Osaghae further declared the act unconstitutional and said that the current salaries of judges were embarrassingly too low given the present socio-economic realities and other factors such as the value of the naira against the currencies of some countries.
She further made an order of mandatory injunction compelling all the defendants to forthwith, put in place or activate legal and administrative machinery to begin payment to the justices.
The minimum monthly salary of N10 million, she said should be paid to the Chief Justice of Nigeria ( CJN) and each justice of the Supreme Court, a minimum monthly salary of N9 million.
She said a minimum monthly salary of N9 million should be paid to the President and Justices of the Court of Appeal.
The court also ordered a minimum monthly salary of N8 million for the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and N7 million for each of the justices of the same court.
As for the president of the National Industrial Court and each of the judges of the same court, a minimum monthly salary of N8 million and N7 million respectively was ordered by the court.
The court ordered that the Chief Judge of each State High Court and each judge of the same court should be paid a minimum monthly salary of N7 million.
The judge in addition stated that the Chief Judge of the FCT’s minimum monthly salary should be N8 million and N7 million for each judge of the same court.
As for the Grand Khadi of Sharia Court and the Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the FCT, the court said that a minimum monthly salary of N8 million and N7 million should be their take home pay.
The court as part of its decision ordered that the president of the Customary Court of Appeal of the FCT minimum monthly salary should be pegged at N8 million and N7 million for each judge of the same court.
The court also made an order of mandatory injunction compelling the second defendant, RMAFC, or any other body that will be subsequently charged with the duties of reviewing judges’ salaries, to perpetually review in conjunction with the third defendant, on a yearly or two years review of judges’ salaries.
Source: The Nation
