.Govt to increase number of apex court justices 

A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Amina Adamu Augie, yesterday, charged the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led 10th National Assembly to tinker with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to enhance functioning of the nation’s courts.
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Addressing a valedictory court session held in her honour yesterday in Abuja, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years for judicial officers on September 3, she noted that the apex court and its final decisions shape society’s social order.

Augie stated that the judges should be able to focus on what truly matters, by issuing directives for formulating specific policies or amending existing ones to better serve their intended purposes.

She added: “But how can they do that when they are drowning in an overwhelming caseload. The only way forward, as highlighted by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, during the special session marking the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year, is to amend the Constitution to restrict the circumstances under which appeals can reach this court.

“This marks the final instance, where my voice will be heard in any court, and I wish to use this opportunity to directly address the 10th National Assembly, through distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who was once my student at the Law School.

“I had the privilege of teaching him evidence, and I trust that he learned well. Hence, it should be evident to him that swift action is needed from the 10th National Assembly to accomplish what others could not – amending the Constitution to enhance the functioning of our courts in Nigeria.”

Justice Augie implored lawmakers to undertake the necessary amendments so that the apex court and its justices could overcome constraints that impede their ability to fulfill their mandate of upholding the rule of law, justice and democracy.

Following the increasing workload associated with depleting number of Justices of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has expressed government’s readiness to strengthen the apex court to attain the required number of judges as required by the Constitution.

Speaking at the event, he stressed that the current administration acknowledged the sacrifices and working conditions of these jurists.

He said the government would ensure excellent conditions of service and remuneration good enough to appreciate the onerous duties of judicial officers at all levels.

Fagbemi went on: “While we appreciate the urgency in reviewing the remuneration of judicial officers, which had not been done for over a decade as an integral component of our judicial reforms, we are also appreciative of the greater goal of achieving a true independence for the judiciary, which can only be achieved through a comprehensive and sustainable reform process, which requires attention and details.”

He hinted that the government had begun a painstaking effort at revisiting and reviewing all necessary instruments towards strengthening the judiciary, rule of law and improving the living conditions of all judicial officers.

Earlier in his speech, the CJN said the retired judge “has, largely, made herself a legal personality that has diligently sunk a pool of enduring legal knowledge and experience in all her judicial pronouncements. She has been a formidable ally, an admirable pillar of support and indeed, a jolly good fellow to all of us.”

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, in his speech, said there is no Supreme Court in the world that is overworked like that of Nigeria.
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