Nigeria’s Supreme Court engulfed in rare welfare complaints row

Greater than a dozen justices on the 18-member establishment have lodged a letter of protest over their working circumstances.

Map displaying the NIgerian capital Abuja, the place the Supreme Courtroom sits (Al Jazeera)

Nigeria’s chief justice has defended the therapy of the nation’s Supreme Courtroom judges after greater than a dozen of them lodged a grave criticism about their working circumstances, in keeping with native media reviews.

Native newspapers reported that weeks in the past, 14 of the apex courtroom’s 16 judges had despatched a criticism to the nation’s prime decide. Within the leaked memo, they complained about a lot of welfare and logistical points together with an absence of analysis assistants and insufficient lodging.

In an announcement issued on Monday in response to the letter, Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad mentioned the Supreme Courtroom had supplied its members with sufficient provisions, together with autos for the whole lot and lodging for all however a “few”.

“The Apex Courtroom has … been residing [up] to its constitutional duty,” the chief justice mentioned.

He added most people ought to be “relaxation assured” that there was “no hostility or opposed emotions” among the many 16-member courtroom and mentioned all justices have been going about their regular duties.

However the chief justice additionally admitted that the establishment “doesn't exist outdoors [of] its atmosphere” and had additionally been affected by the tough financial realities going through the nation, which at present spends practically 90 % of all its revenues on servicing debt, in accordance to the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF).

Justices accuse courtroom of ‘ignoring’ calls for for enchancment

Within the judges’ letter of criticism – reportedly the primary of its variety to be submitted within the courtroom’s practically 60-year historical past – they mentioned a number of of them sworn into their posts in late 2020 had “but to be accommodated”.

The letter additionally raised considerations over the shortage of authorized analysis assistants supplied to justices, erratic electrical energy provide to the courtroom, allegedly decrepit work autos given to justices, a number of of which have been claimed to be “substandard”, and an absence of web provision of their residences and chambers.

The complainants mentioned that they had addressed the problems throughout a gathering in March with the chief justice, who they accused of getting “acquired and ignored” their calls for for enhancements.

In his response, Muhammad famous that there had been an absence of obtainable funds to supply some recently-installed justices with residential lodging and outfitted libraries.

However he additionally mentioned the courtroom had been pressured to pay for refurbishment work this yr and that funds had been ringfenced in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic to stop redundancies.

“The Apex Courtroom has to make do with the sources at its disposal to satisfy their wants over time,” Muhammad mentioned, arguing it might have “amounted to an act of irresponsibility to divert cash” put aside for the remedial works and in the course of the pandemic elsewhere.