The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem has pleaded with the federal government for an immediate upward review of the salaries of judicial officers in the country.
Justice Dongban-Mensem made the plea during the 2021/22 legal year having noted that salaries of judicial officers have been stagnated for over 10 years.
Also Read: Appeal Court halt’s Rivers, Lagos from collecting VAT
The 2021/22 legal year was ushered in with police parade band having in attendance both past and present justices of the court of appeal, ministers governor’s and captains of industries.
The Attorney general and minister of justice Abubakar Malami, was first to mount the podium he urged the justices to maintain the sanctity and credibility of the Court .
On the part of body of senior advocate of Nigeria, there will be peace once the rule of law is being adhered to and justice is duly administered.
The issue of conflicting ex-perte orders and professional misconduct are also worrisome to the legal minds
Playing host to the guests the president of the court of appeal, Justice Dongban-Mensem lamented that the salary structure for judicial officers and staff in Nigeria have consistently ranked poorly when compared to that of their counterpart in other African and Commonwealth countries.
Justice Dongban-Mensem said the last time salaries of judicial officers were reviewed in Nigeria was in 2008, when the upward review was made to take effect on February 1, 2007.
As President of the Court of Appeal, she receives the sum of N206,425, while other justices on the bench of the Court of Appeal, go home with N166,285 every month. The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) takes home N279, 497 as monthly salary, while other justices on the Supreme Court bench go home the sum of N206,425.
She, therefore, called on the federal and states governments to leave up to their obligations under the implementation of Financial autonomy of state legislature and the state judiciary order, 2020, known as Executive Order 10.
On the performance of the Appeal Court under review, the president disclosed that a total of 5,392 appeals and 9,249 motions were filed in the last legal year between September 2020 to August 2021.
Out of which 3,111 appeals were disposed off along with 7,492 motions. A total of 2, 169 appeals were dismissed while 942 appeals were upheld as at August 31, 2021.
Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe
