President Bola Tinubu has signed into law a bill that increases the salaries and allowances of Nigeria’s top judicial officials by 300 percent.
Basheer Lado, the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, announced the new law, stating that it “prescribes salaries, allowances, etc., for Judicial Officers to reflect changing realities.” The legislation amends the “Certain Political, Public, and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) Act, No.6, 2002.”
The Senate had approved the bill in June, following its third reading, which Lado described as an expression of their “patriotic commitment to progressively improving the welfare of Nigerians.” He thanked the National Assembly for prioritizing the well-being of Nigerians by passing and transmitting the executive bill. “The judiciary remains the hope of the common man, and it is hoped that Nigerians seeking justice get it, irrespective of their status in life,” he said.
Lado also praised the President’s decision to sign the bill into law, calling it “an extraordinary step” that underscores the administration’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerian workers. He emphasized that Tinubu had previously demonstrated this commitment by halting a Federal Executive Council meeting to sign into law a new National Minimum Wage Bill, raising the minimum wage to N70,000 (U.S.$44.03).
The new salary scales for top judicial officials will see the President of the Court of Appeal earning N826,116 (U.S.$519.626) per month and the Chief Justice of Nigeria earning N1,120,000 (U.S.$704) monthly while the heads of various courts, including Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, FCT High Court, etc., are entitled to N601,880 (U.S.$378.58) monthly salary.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
