The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi says the Federal Government has started the implementation of the 300% pay rise for judicial officers.
Fagbemi said this on Monday at the 12 Convocation ceremony of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) in Ekiti State.
“One ongoing concern before I took office was the poor remuneration of judicial officers,” the AGF said at the event’s grand finale where he was conferred with an honourary doctorate in Law.
“I am again pleased to report that a major intervention of the Tinubu administration in the judiciary is the recent 300% upward review of the remuneration of judicial officers in Nigeria across board. To be true, I can confirm that the implementation of this has begun in earnest.”
He described the move as “an important first step” in the President Bola Tinubu administration’s resolve to “strengthen the judiciary”.
Tinubu had in August signed into law a bill seeking a 300% increase in salaries and allowances for judicial officials.
His comment came months after the Supreme Court recently ruled in favour of local government autonomy in what many have described as a watershed in the nation’s democratic journey.
Earlier in the year, Justice Fagbemi had sued the 36 state governors over alleged mismanagement of local government funds
Months later, the apex court ruled that it was illegal for states to hold local government funds.
Before the verdict, local government funds were paid into a joint account managed by state governments and LGAs in their domains.
Justice Emmanuel Agim directed that allocation from the federation account should be paid directly to local government areas henceforth, and not to state government coffers.
At the ABUAD Convocation, Fagbemi expressed joy over the ruling and said it was the judiciary’s contribution to democracy.
“This is our very modest contribution to the strengthening of our foundation and invariably the country’s democracy,” Fagbemi said.
The AGF also said the Federal Government will be embarking on a holistic review of Nigeria’s laws to respond to the daily needs of the country.
“We have assembled a team of legal luminaries to achieve this within a very limited timeframe,” the minister of justice said.
“This law review intervention will cut across all aspects of our social, economic, and political life.”