We’ll ease conditions of judges — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will ease the conditions under which judges work in the country.

He said this at the State House, Abuja, Thursday while receiving the chairman and representatives of the Body of Benchers.

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He said the degenerated welfare and working conditions of the nation’s judiciary were “serious and would be treated as such”.

Buhari, according to a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said Nigeria was “currently battling insecurity, corruption and economic challenges” aggravated by the COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. 

According to him, a democratic government cannot stand where one of its three pillars, the judiciary, is not properly nurtured, maintained and sustained to deliver on its very pivotal constitutional duties.” 

He, promised to act quickly on the report of the committee he set up in 2018 to review the welfare and working conditions of the judiciary: 

He congratulated the Body of Benchers on the successful completion of the Benchers Complex at Jabi, accepting the invitation to commission the structure. 

Chairman, Body of Benchers, Wole Olanipekun, described the condition under which judges, especially the justices of the Supreme Court, work as pathetic, appalling and below the minimum standards that are required:  

“We want to plead with you. We need to bail out the judiciary. The situation is bad. Let’s sympathise with the judiciary. I know you to have respect, feelings for the judiciary. You have sympathy, empathy and consideration. “The Body of Benchers as elders of the legal profession makes these recommendations to Your Excellency, with a plea that should be attended to urgently.”