CHUKWU DAVID writes on the intrigues that characterised the Senate’s passage of a bill seeking to increase salaries of judicial officers by 300 per cent
The Senate recently passed a bill seeking to prescribe improved salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of Judicial officers in Nigeria, hours after it berated organised labour for shutting down the national grid and disrupting Hajj flights during a two-day strike to demand for a new minimum wage.
The Senate passed the bill following the adoption of the report of its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mohammed Monguno. By the legislation, the new salaries and allowances of judicial officers at all levels will now be 300 percent increase from their current earnings.
The bill scaled second reading in the Senate in May after President Bola Tinubu wrote the National Assembly in March to consider and pass the proposal.
Making his presentation, Monguno said that stakeholders who attended the public hearing of the bill were unanimous in their support for its passage, explaining that the purpose of the bill is sacrosanct to the justice sector reform initiative of the present administration.
The lawmaker pointed out that the bill was in consonance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the standing rules of the Senate.
The bill, if passed by the House of Representatives, and signed into law by the President, will pave the way for the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to earn N64 million annually, The new salaries and allowances represent a 300 per cent increase from the current earnings of the judicial officers.
It is pertinent to note that, the President of the Court of Appeal will be entitled to N62.4 million and justices of the Supreme Court will earn N61.4 million. The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, President of the National Industrial Court, Chief Judge of FCT High Court, Grand Kadi FCT Shariah Court of Appeal, President of FCT Customary Court, Chief Judge of State High Court, Grand Kadi State Shariah Court of Appeal and President State Customary Court of Appeal are to earn the same salaries and allowances.
For this category, the annual basic salary is N7.9 million and N42.3 million as annual regular allowances. Also, the severance gratuity and motor vehicle loan are N23.9 million and N31.9 million, respectively.
Senator Monguno also noted that apart from the new salary and allowance scheme, the bill would also make provision for the retirement of judicial officers.
He further pointed out that the Nigerian judiciary scheme will attract and retain officers who wish to remain on the bench. After the presentation, no single senator opposed it when the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, put it to voice vote for final approval.
In his brief remarks, after the legislative proposal was passed, Akpabio expressed appreciation to the Committee members and the entire Senate for supporting the bill, which he said would contribute immensely in bringing positive transformation to the Judiciary.
It was an irony of some sort to note that while the Red Chamber unanimously passed a bill, increasing the salaries of judicial officers by 300 per cent, the same Assembly did not take any definite stand in the current demand by the Organised Labour for a reasonable minimum wage.
The obvious lack of enthusiasm by the National Assembly members in pushing for a living wage for Nigerian workers could be seen in the way the lawmakers handled the issue of strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Specifically, on Tuesday last week, precisely June 4, 2024, the Senate carpeted Labour over what it considered as excessive actions taken by some members of Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, during the just suspended nationwide strike on new minimum wage.
The apex legislative Assembly, particularly declared that the shutdown of the national grid by labour unionists was more of economic sabotage than agitation for new minimum wage.
The chamber also expressed serious displeasure over the disruption of Hajj flight by the striking workers, who barricaded the road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Consequently, the chamber declared that such situation would not be allowed to re- occur, threatening that laws against such action would be reflected in the new national minimum wage law that would be enacted soon after submission of bill to that effect by the executive arm.
The lawmakers expressed these positions while considering a motion sponsored on the strike action and new minimum wage by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central).
Senator Plang had in the motion, requested the Senate to call on the Federal Government to expedite action on new minimum wage as a way of stopping the industrial unrest which was however, overtaken by the suspension of the strike by labour.
However, Senator Akpabio, in his remarks, said that though it was heartwarming that the strike was suspended, but excesses made by some Labour unionists needed to be condemned. “One of such excesses was the shutdown of the national grid which is more of an economic sabotage than agitation for a new minimum wage.
Disruption of Hajj flight by some other labour unionists as said by the deputy president of the Senate is also not palatable being a religious exercise.
“Also, disruption or prevention of students from writing their West African School Certificate Examination by some labour unionists during the strike was bad because the examination is not organized by Nigeria but West African Countries”, he argued.
He added that such actions would not be allowed to be repeated as required laws would be reflected in the new National Minimum Wage Bill expected from the executive very soon.
He however, commended the labour unions for calling off the strike, saying: “I want to thank the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress for listening to the voice of Nigerians and the international community by calling off the strike to enable negotiations to continue and we wish them well in the negotiations.