Nigeria: Senate Probes Non-Payment of Severance, Pensions to Judicial Officers
Abuja — The Senate
has begun a probe into non-payment of all severance, gratuities and
pensions arrears to retired state judicial officers by state
governments.
Against this
backdrop, the Senate yesterday mandated its Committee on Judiciary,
Human Rights and Legal Matters to carry out a holistic investigation on
the issues surrounding the non-payment of these entitlements and report
back within four weeks.
The Senate also
mandated the committee to review the laws impeding the harmonization of
the processes and prompt payment of retirement benefits of all judicial
officers in the country.
The upper chamber
urged the National Judicial Council, NJC to harmonise the payment of
retirement benefits of all judges of superior courts of records in the
country as it had done with the salaries and emoluments of retired
judicial officers listed in Section 6 of the Constitution.
The resolutions
were sequel to a motion by Senator Chukwuka Utazi, PDP, Enugu North and
entitled, "The plight of retired judges of state High Courts and the
need to harmonise the process of paying the retirement benefits of all
judges of superior courts of records in Nigeria."
Presenting the
motion, Senator Utazi said among others, that "The Senate: Recalls that
sometime around December 2016, Hon. Justice Godwin Ononiba, retired
Chief Judge of Anambra State leading 31 other retired Judges, sued the
Governor of Anambra State, the National Industrial Court for non-payment
of their severance gratuities, their pension and arrears of pension;
"Worried that the
suit above is indicative and a reflection of the depressing plight of
retired Judicial Officers, especially Judges of the State High Courts in
Nigeria."
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