The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has announced that the Federal Government has commenced the implementation of a 300% pay increase for judicial officers across Nigeria.
Speaking at the 12th Convocation ceremony of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) in Ekiti State on Monday, Fagbemi described the pay rise as a key step in addressing long-standing concerns about the poor remuneration of judicial officers. The AGF, who was conferred with an honorary doctorate in Law at the event, noted that the salary review is one of the major interventions of the President Bola Tinubu administration aimed at strengthening the judiciary.
“One ongoing concern before I took office was the poor remuneration of judicial officers,” Fagbemi said during the convocation ceremony. “I am again pleased to report that a major intervention of the Tinubu administration in the judiciary is the recent 300% upward review of the remuneration of judicial officers in Nigeria across board. To be true, I can confirm that the implementation of this has begun in earnest.”
In August, President Tinubu signed into law a bill approving a 300% increase in salaries and allowances for judicial officers, fulfilling a longstanding demand for better compensation within the judiciary.
Fagbemi also lauded a recent landmark ruling by the Supreme Court, which upheld the autonomy of local governments, calling it a “watershed” in Nigeria’s democratic journey. The AGF had earlier sued the 36 state governors over the alleged mismanagement of local government funds, leading to the Supreme Court’s ruling that local government allocations from the federation account should no longer be paid into state coffers but directly to local government areas.
At the ABUAD ceremony, Fagbemi hailed the decision as a significant victory for democracy, stating, “This is our very modest contribution to the strengthening of our foundation and invariably the country’s democracy.”
In addition, Fagbemi revealed that the Federal Government is set to embark on a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s laws to ensure they reflect the country’s evolving social, economic, and political realities. He mentioned that a team of legal experts has been assembled to complete this review within a limited timeframe.
“This law review intervention will cut across all aspects of our social, economic, and political life,” Fagbemi said, emphasizing the administration’s commitment to reforming the legal landscape in Nigeria.
The pay rise for judicial officers is seen as a crucial first step in addressing some of the challenges facing the Nigerian judiciary, with further reforms expected in the coming months.
