By signing the Judicial Office Holders Salaries and Allowances Bill into law, President Bola Tinubu has raised the monthly pay of judicial officials in Nigeria by 300 per cent. Under the new dispensation that has been hailed by critical stakeholders in the sector, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) will get an annual salary of N64 million, which translates to N5.3 million per month. The President of the Court of Appeal will earn N62.4 million, while Justices of the Supreme Court will be paid N61.4 million annually. All heads of the various courts, such as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, the President of the National Industrial Court, among others, would earn the same basic salary of N7.9 million annually.

As we noted recently, the decision to increase the salaries of judicial officers is in the right direction. Despite several assurances, the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari did not heed the calls for a review of the remunerations for judicial officers in the country. Yet, apart from the fact that it had been a long time since judicial officers’ salaries were reviewed, the rising inflation also justifies the latest decision. The last time the judges’ salaries and allowances were increased was in 2007 following the enactment of the ‘Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act of 2008’. That law repealed a 2002 Act to create room for the increase of judges’ basic salaries, allowances, and fringe benefits in 2007.

The question now is, will the improved pay packets reflect in better justice administration in Nigeria? Many are sceptical that it would make any difference. And it is difficult to fault their pessimism. The problem in the judiciary goes far beyond judges’ welfare. In many courts, facilities are in a state of disrepair. In others, these facilities do not exist at all. Similarly, better remunerations for judges will not reduce the length of time it takes to determine cases. If the judiciary refuses to embrace modern technology, if court clerks are ill-equipped to perform their administrative duties, and if judges continue to write in long hand, problems will continue to persist.

No one should expect a positive delivery from a bench that is populated by judges who got the job because of their filial affiliation. No one should expect a judiciary where senior judges lower the criteria for appointment to make it easier for their sons and daughters to be appointed as judicial officers to perform better. That much was confirmed by Justice Adamu Dattijo, at the valedictory session to mark his retirement from the Supreme Court last year. “It is asserted that the process of appointment to judicial positions is deliberately conducted to give undue advantage to the ‘children, spouses, and mistresses’ of serving and retired judges and managers of judicial offices,” he said. Therefore, beyond the issue of wages, the process of appointing judges should be reformed to make sure that only the best legal practitioners make it to the bench.

Nigeria needs judges who will apply the law and not favour some litigants as was the case with the decisions against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State. Overall, while better pay for judges is a necessary condition for the restoration of public confidence in the judiciary, it is not sufficient. We need the right people on the bench. But it is nonetheless a commendable gesture. (THISDAY Editorial)

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