President Muhammadu Buhari has authorized and directed measures for the immediate implementation of the enhanced salary and welfare scheme for judicial officers.

   President Buhari announced this during the official commissioning and handover ceremony of the Nabo Graham-Douglas campus of the Nigerian Law School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to the Council of Legal Education yesterday. Buhari, who was represented by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), directed the chairman, Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission and the AGF to promptly commence measures towards the realization and implementation of enhanced salary and welfare scheme for judicial officers in the country.

A statement by the media aide to Malami, Dr. Umar Gwandu, quoted the president as targeting to strengthen the capacity and independence of the judiciary, which he noted remained a pillar of strength and stability for the country’s democracy.  “This administration will, therefore, continue to support efforts to transform the judiciary as part of a critical strategy in ensuring a fair, progressive, and prosperous society, with the rule of law as its cornerstone,” he stated. The president also called on the judiciary to continue to uphold the ethics of their profession and operate with accountability and probity in the exercise of their judicial and administrative duties.

Ada Peter