NBA Calls For Appointment Of More Supreme Court Judges
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for the appointment of additional judges for the Supreme Court, amid fall in the number of justices of the court in the last two years.
The association made the call in a statement, yesterday, even as Justice Amina Augie bowed out, after clocking the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The body demanded the appointments to achieve full complement of 21 Justices of the Supreme Court, as prescribed by Section 230(1) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The NBA President noted that it has become imperative that the Nigerian constitution be amended to increase the threshold for the number of justices to be appointed to the Supreme Court and reduce the number of matters that get to the Supreme Court by limiting jurisdiction of the court to certain constitutional matters,” said the statement released by Publicity Secretary, Akorede Lawal.
It noted that the plea is a repeat of the call by NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, during a speech at a valedictory court session, held in honour of Augie.
Maikyau, according to the statement, commiserated with Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, justices, and staff of the Supreme Court over the fire incident at the complex on Monday. He said the incident, which affected the chambers of some justices, calls into question the integrity and safety of court infrastructure in Nigeria.
Giving update on NBA’s engagement with Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and National Judicial Council (NJC) over remuneration of judicial officers, the NBA President said President Bola Tinubu has directed a working group to harmonise recommendations, with a view to including the outcome in the 2024 budget appropriation.
Culled from Guardian
