The Senate on Monday demanded a special intervention fund to
enable the judiciary to function efficiently and effectively.
According to the Senate, there will still be corruption in the
judiciary “even if saints are appointed from heaven to serve as
justices and judges”.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and
Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said after the screening
of Justice John Tsoho and Justice Benedict Kanyip the judiciary
needed financial help.
Justice Tsoho was nominated for the vacant position of Chief
Judge of the Federal High Court while Justice Kanyip was nominated
for the position of the President of the National Industrial Court
of Nigeria.
Their names were forwarded to the Senate for confirmation by
President Muhammadu Buhari last week.
While speaking on the submissions made by the justices during
the confirmation hearing session, Bamidele said the judiciary,
based on the realities on the ground regarding a paucity of funds,
was vulnerable to compromise.
He said democracy could not grow or survive in any country with
a compromised judiciary.
The representative of Ekiti Central in the upper chamber of the
National Assembly said, “The problem at hand is that the judiciary
is corrupt and it is time for Nigeria and Nigerians to rise up and
rescue the judiciary with adequate funding.
“As it is with the nation’s judiciary today, even if saints are
appointed from heaven to serve as justices and judges, it is only
strength of character that can prevent them from being corrupt and
dispense justice as required.”
According to the lawyer, extra-budgetary provisions will help
the judiciary to function properly.
However, he commended Buhari for increasing the budgetary
allocation for the judiciary on a yearly basis.
The legislator said, “Within the last four years, the budgetary
provision for the judiciary has been experiencing marginal
increases under the present administration, but it is not yet
Uhuru.
“The special intervention fund must come first before a
consistent increase on an annual basis.”
The Executive Secretary of the NJC, Ahmed Saleh, in an interview
with journalists after the session said judges salaries were last
reviewed in 2007.
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