{"id":92508,"date":"2026-09-11T07:35:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/?p=92508"},"modified":"2026-09-11T07:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:35:09","slug":"before-we-give-lagos-magistrates-more-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/before-we-give-lagos-magistrates-more-work\/","title":{"rendered":"BEFORE WE GIVE LAGOS MAGISTRATES MORE WORK\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>The proposed amendment to the Magistrates\u2019 Court Law offers Lagos State an opportunity to confront the more fundamental question of whether the Magistracy is being adequately supported to perform the responsibilities being placed upon it.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The proposed amendment to the Lagos State Magistrates\u2019 Court Law, 2015 has generated a conversation that is both necessary and overdue. The Lagos State House of Assembly is presently considering a Bill which proposes, among other things, an increase in the monetary jurisdiction of the Magistrates\u2019 Courts from N10 million to N25 million and an extension of the retirement age of Magistrates. The Bill has passed second reading and has been referred to the relevant House Committee for further legislative scrutiny, with stakeholders invited to make representations.<\/p>\n

At DNL Legal and Style, we consider the proposal to strengthen the Magistracy worthy of support in principle. A review of the monetary jurisdiction is overdue. The economic realities of Lagos have changed considerably, and a N10 million jurisdiction may no longer reflect the value of many ordinary disputes involving property, debt, contracts and commercial transactions. Similarly, there is a legitimate argument for retaining experienced judicial officers for longer where they remain competent and capable of discharging their responsibilities.<\/p>\n

But there is a more important question which should not be lost in the discussion about jurisdiction and retirement: If Lagos State expects its Magistrates to do more and serve longer, is it prepared to give them the welfare and working conditions necessary to do so?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That, in our view, should be at the centre of the present reform.<\/p>\n

The Magistracy Carries A Much Heavier Burden Than Its Status Often Suggests<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>For many citizens, the Magistrates\u2019 Court is the first and most immediate point of contact with the justice system. Criminal proceedings, landlord and tenant disputes, debt recovery and numerous other matters come before Magistrates every day. The efficiency of these courts directly affects the cost, speed and accessibility of justice.<\/p>\n

The Magistracy therefore cannot be treated as an institutional footnote to the High Court.<\/p>\n

Magistrates exercise significant judicial powers. Their decisions can determine whether a person remains in custody, whether a landlord can recover possession, whether a debt is enforceable and whether parties to a dispute can obtain timely relief. Yet the conversation about Magistrates often begins and ends with what they should do for the justice system: hear more cases, reduce congestion, deliver judgments faster and take on a wider jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

The question of what the system should do for the Magistrates who carry this responsibility deserves equal attention.<\/p>\n

Recent discussions before the Lagos State House of Assembly have, importantly, begun to bring that issue into the open. Lawmakers and legal practitioners have called for better welfare, improved remuneration and better working conditions. Concerns have specifically included housing, transportation, security and the pressures created by heavy caseloads.<\/p>\n

This is the conversation that should not be allowed to disappear once the Bill is passed.<\/p>\n

Welfare Is Not A Side Issue<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is sometimes an uncomfortable tendency to regard welfare demands by judicial officers as demands for privilege. That approach misses the point.<\/p>\n

The issue is not whether Magistrates should live extravagantly. It is whether the conditions of judicial service are sufficiently realistic to allow them to perform their functions with dignity, independence and peace of mind.<\/p>\n

Lagos is an expensive city. Housing, transportation, food, education, healthcare and other basic costs have risen significantly. A remuneration package that does not adequately reflect those realities gradually ceases to be an effective welfare package.<\/p>\n

This is particularly important for Magistrates because their work is not a conventional nine-to-five public service assignment. They manage crowded dockets, preside over criminal and civil matters, prepare rulings and judgments and deal daily with parties whose liberty, property or livelihood may be at stake.<\/p>\n

A judicial officer should not have to spend an unreasonable portion of his or her income worrying about basic accommodation or the cost of getting to work.<\/p>\n

Judicial independence is not sustained by the oath of office alone. The practical conditions in which judicial officers live and work matter.<\/p>\n

Housing Should Be Treated As Part Of Judicial Infrastructure<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Housing is perhaps one of the clearest areas in which the State can make a meaningful difference.<\/p>\n

Lagos State deserves credit for recognizing this. In 2025, the State commissioned 34 three-bedroom apartments at Ketu as official residences, with 24 allocated to Magistrates and 10 to legal officers. The Governor expressly linked dignified housing to judicial independence and performance. This is a welcome development. But 34 apartments should be seen as the beginning of a policy, not the conclusion of one.<\/p>\n

The Magistracy operates across Lagos State. A Magistrate may be posted to a jurisdiction far from his or her existing residence, with the attendant burden of rent and daily transportation. A housing policy for Magistrates should therefore be systematic and sustainable.<\/p>\n

Where official accommodation cannot be provided, meaningful housing support or a realistic housing allowance should be available. The objective should be simple: a Magistrate should not be required to shoulder a disproportionate housing burden merely because he or she has accepted judicial office.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>The Take-Home Package Must Reflect Present Economic Realities<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The question of remuneration is equally important.<\/p>\n

It is not enough to state a salary figure without considering what the judicial officer actually takes home and what that income can realistically provide.<\/p>\n

Recent submissions to the House have called for a substantial review of the remuneration and allowances of Magistrates, including proposals for increased salaries, court-running allowances, housing, official vehicles and other benefits. While the specific figures proposed by individual stakeholders may be debated, the underlying point is difficult to ignore: the existing package requires serious review against the realities of 2026.<\/p>\n

The answer should not necessarily be to place every allowance in the statute. But there should be a clear policy that ensures that remuneration and allowances are periodically reviewed and do not become frozen in an economy where the cost-of-living changes dramatically.<\/p>\n

Housing allowance, transport support, medical care, court-running expenses and other appropriate allowances should be considered as components of an integrated welfare package.<\/p>\n

A Magistrate should be able to concentrate on the work of judging without constantly calculating whether the ordinary costs of performing that work are financially sustainable.<\/p>\n

Transport, Security and the Realities of the Job<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lagos is a difficult city in which to commute. For a Magistrate serving outside his or her immediate area of residence, the daily cost and stress of transportation can be considerable. Official vehicles, where appropriate, or adequate transport allowances can help address this problem.<\/p>\n

Security also deserves attention. Magistrates routinely preside over criminal matters and make decisions that will not always please the parties before them. The State therefore has an obligation to provide reasonable security arrangements appropriate to the responsibilities and location of judicial officers.<\/p>\n

These are not extravagant requests. They are part of creating an environment in which a judicial officer can perform the functions of office without avoidable personal hardship.<\/p>\n

Do Not Increase Jurisdiction Without Increasing Capacity<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The proposed increase in jurisdiction from N10 million to N25 million is defensible. Monetary thresholds should reflect economic realities, and the transfer of matters that could properly be determined by Magistrates to the High Court can contribute to congestion.<\/p>\n

But increasing jurisdiction without increasing institutional capacity would be incomplete reform.<\/p>\n

If Magistrates are expected to hear more substantial claims, the courts must have adequate staffing, administrative support, research resources, technology and functional facilities.<\/p>\n

The Magistrate must have the tools necessary to manage a larger workload effectively.The same principle applies to the proposed extension of retirement age. There is value in retaining experienced judicial officers. Judicial experience is accumulated over years, and the justice system benefits from that institutional knowledge. But extending service from 60 to 65 should not simply mean asking Magistrates to remain at their posts for another five years under unchanged conditions.<\/p>\n

More Years Of Service Should Come with a Renewed Conversation About the Quality of Those Years.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

If the State wants experienced Magistrates to remain, it should make judicial service sufficiently attractive and sustainable to retain them.<\/p>\n

The reform should therefore be bigger than the Bill<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The present legislative process offers Lagos State an opportunity to undertake a more comprehensive review of the Magistracy.<\/p>\n

The focus should not be limited to jurisdiction and retirement. It should include a serious examination of:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. remuneration and take-home benefits;<\/li>\n
  2. housing and housing allowances;<\/li>\n
  3. transportation and official vehicle arrangements;<\/li>\n
  4. security;<\/li>\n
  5. healthcare and medical support;<\/li>\n
  6. court-running and administrative allowances;<\/li>\n
  7. staffing and administrative support;<\/li>\n
  8. court infrastructure and technology; and<\/li>\n
  9. retirement and post-service welfare.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These issues do not all have to be addressed in one legislative provision.<\/p>\n

    Some may be dealt with through regulations, budgetary measures or judicial policy.<\/p>\n

    What matters is that the State treats them as part of the reform agenda.There is also nothing contradictory about demanding accountability from Magistrates while advocating better welfare for them. Judicial officers must remain subject to the highest standards of competence, integrity and performance. Better welfare should never mean less accountability. Rather, the State should expect excellence from its Magistrates while providing the conditions that make excellence sustainable.<\/p>\n

    Lagos must invest in the Magistracy it expects to depend on<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/strong>The Magistrates\u2019 Courts carry too much of the daily burden of justice administration to be treated as an afterthought. If the State wants them to take on more cases, it must give them the capacity to do so. If it wants experienced Magistrates to remain longer, it must make continued service worthwhile.<\/p>\n

    Before we give Lagos Magistrates more jurisdiction, more cases and more years of service, we should give serious thought to their welfare.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    A stronger Magistracy is not a threat to the High Court. It is not a demand for privilege. It is an investment in the justice system itself.<\/p>\n

    And perhaps that is the most important question the present Bill should leave Lagos State with:<\/p>\n

    Not simply what more can our Magistrates do for the administration of justice, but what more are we prepared to do for the Magistrates upon whom that justice depends?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u00a0The proposed amendment to the Magistrates\u2019 Court Law offers Lagos State an opportunity to confront the more fundamental question of whether the Magistracy is being adequately supported to perform the responsibilities being placed upon it. \u00a0The proposed amendment to the Lagos State Magistrates\u2019 Court Law, 2015 has generated a conversation that is both necessary and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":49316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t