Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed has exonerated himself from the financial mess of Justices of the Supreme Court, saying he is not the cause of their financial situation.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the CJ, apparently disturbed by the outbursts of his colleagues, countered their position by stating the fact that budgetary dislocation and poor funding is the cause of their financial woes.
TNG recalls, Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria had revolted against the leadership of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad saying, his tenure has left their allowances and emoluments unpaid despite being allotted N120 billion in the nation’s 2022 budget.
This was contained in a letter sent to Mr Muhammad early this month.
According to the letter sighted by TheNewsGuru.com,(TNG) the justices demanded to know what had happened to their legitimate entitlements under the leadership of justice Tanko.
They wondered how requests for legal assistants, standard health clinic, accommodation for justices, diesel and data allowance had been ignored by the CJN, despite setting up a panel months earlier that he said he would look into the matter.
The committee also requested “the restoration of our monthly Internet allowance, because we require uninterrupted Internet service in order to have access to materials online to write our judgements. Your Lordship received and ignored these demands since 24th March 2022.
“The welfare Committee also submitted our request for diesel allowance, because of the epileptic electricity supply, the astronomical hike in the price of diesel and the fact that Justices required electricity to work at home”.
The justices berated the CJN further, saying his inefficient leadership had drastically deteriorated the standards known with the nation’s highest court.
They were concerned that Supreme Court justices sworn in since November 2020 had yet to be accommodated by the apex Court in spite of his promises.
“Your Lordship promised to take up the issue that day. To date, your Lordship has not taken any step in this direction,” bewailed the justices.
Buttressing their claims, the justices said their mandatory foreign workshops and training three times in a year “with an accompanying person for reason of age” have been on hold under Mr Tanko, who has now limited their options to only Dubai and Tanzania without an accompanying person.
Furious that the CJN travelled with his entire family and personal staff, the justices demanded to know what had become of their allowances despite the judiciary gulping about N120 billion of the nation’s 2022 budget.
“Your Lordship totally ignored this demand and yet travelled with your spouse, children and personal staff,” they said before demanding “to know what has become of our training funds, have they been diverted or is this a plain denial?
“We find it strange that despite the upward review of our budgetary allocation, the Court cannot cater for our legitimate entitlements. This is unacceptable!” The letter added. Their allocation had been increased from N110 billion in 2021 budget to N120 billion in 2022.
The apex judges decried the current state of their health clinic, which they said had been reduced “to a mere consulting clinic” since drugs were not always available to treat minor ailments, thereby endangering justices who may require emergency medical intervention.
The Supreme Court justices also raised concern over an internal memo that forced them to close by 4pm over lack of diesel, an act they said proves the apex Court had sunk into unthinkable depths under Mr Muhammad’s leadership.
According to our sources, the letter which was sent to Mr Muhammad earlier this month, caused further upheavals in the judicial circles. Traditional leaders have tried to wade into the crisis and resolve the dispute bedevilling the ranks of top jurists.
Meanwhile, the CJN has said that he is not responsible for the supreme court justices financial woes but rather attributed the blame to a collective woeful working condition.
Justices Mohammad who was reacting through his spokesman, Mr Ahuraka Isah said, the Federal Government had not reviewed the entitlement of justices for about 15 years now.
He said, “the problem of the judges salaries, allowances and other entitlements was instigated with the lumping of these items in the ’’Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2008.
“For about 15 years the FG is yet to review it. That was what prompted the judiciary or the Supreme Court to devise other allowances to supplement and cushion its adverse effect.
“Come to think of it the FG did not increase judiciary budget for 4 years from 2018 to 2021. Only in 2022 it was increased from N110b to N120b.Yet Buhari government appointed 8 justice for the apex court within the period without budget for it.
“Mind you 2 Supreme Court justices died within the period. Besides, about 4 retired and all that required attendant payment of gratuities and allowances for the departed and retirees.
“The CJN is not the causes of supreme court justices financial woes but a collective woeful working condition. CJN does not close from work till sometimes 7 to 8pm.
“Meanwhile most of the judges complaints have been attended or receiving adequate attention as they were made to known during their meeting with Justice Bage.