NBA demands deliberate investment in welfare of judges

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has decried poor working conditions of justices, calling for deliberate investment in welfare.

The association’s president, Mr. Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, stated this in an address delivered at the Annual Legal Year Ceremony of the Court of Appeal.

He said salaries and allowances of judges and justices in the country have remained the same since 2008, noting that this has a negative impact on justice and justice delivery.

He emphasised the need for the judiciary to be truly independent and described as worrisome the fact that “none of the presidential candidates for the upcoming 2023 election, who attended the opening ceremony of the just concluded NBA-AGC on August 21, 2022, spared any thought on the independence of the judiciary.”

He urged “the government to deliberately invest in the welfare of judges and justices by strengthening human capital within the sector and meeting all infrastructural needs as a matter of urgency.”

Also, the president called on “the Federal Government to revisit the 2018 Report of the Committee on the Review of Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service, to bring the same in tune with present day realities and give effect to the final recommendations that will arise therefrom.”

In a statement, the association’s National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Habeeb Lawal, said the NBA leadership is committed to maintaining a robust Bench and Bar relationship.