Stakeholders in the nation’s third arm of government
have raised concern over the frequently recorded death of justices
of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).
Those who spoke to our reporter said the development could be as
a result of either delayed payment of salaries or poor salaries and
wages earned by the judges.
They also noted that apart from poor remuneration, the working
environment of justices of the NICN is deplorable, compared to that
of justices of the regular courts.
One of the stakeholders who did not want his name in print told
our correspondent: “The condition under which judges of the
Industrial Court of Nigeria work is pitiable. This is coupled with
the fact that they are not paid good salaries like their colleagues
in the regular courts.
“With the load of work these justices handle from cases before
them, you don’t expect them to be psychologically stable in doing
the job when they have family problems to grapple with. That is why
judges of the regular courts are treated well in terms of welfare,
considering the arduous tasks which the dispensation of justice
demands”.
Recall that last Sunday in Kaduna, the presiding Judge of the
National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Kaduna division,
Justice Lawal Mani reportedly died at the age of 63 after a
protracted illness.
Incidentally, Justice Mani handled the case challenging Governor
Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State over the sack of 21,780
teachers.
He was also handling the case of illegal impeachment of the
chairman, Kaduna State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ), Garba Muhammad against the union and three others.
This is just as the presiding Judge of the Port Harcourt
Division of the NICN, Justice Auwal Ibrahim, died of heart failure
on Monday February 26, 2018.
His body was flown from Port Harcourt by the Rivers State
government to Kano before he was taken to Bauchi where he was
buried in Azare.
The late Justice Ibrahim served in the office of the Attorney
General of the Federation’s working committee on the Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria and was also on its Editorial Board.
But in a swift reaction, president of National Industrial Court
of Nigeria (NICN), Justice Babatunde Adeniran Adejumo, yesterday
dismissed the claim that poor remuneration and poor working
condition are the causes of deaths recorded recently among justices
of the court.
In a telephone chat with our reporter, Adejumo argued that the
deaths were coincidental, natural and were not triggered by either
load of work, poor salary earnings or delayed salary payments.
Justice Adejumo who was appointed NICN president on April 14,
2003 said the National Industrial Court of Nigeria is one of the
superior courts of record and as such, its earnings are through
first line charge as well.
According to him, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria,
which was established in 1976, is one of the superior courts of
record, and judicial officers in this court earn their salaries
through National Judicial Council (NJC) that collects such funds on
first line charge.
He said, “We are not owing our judicial officers, and indeed our
workers, any salaries, just as no judicial officer is suffering
from any work over-loads.
“Those deaths are natural as well as the sequence or frequency
you talked about are coincidental. There is nothing untoward about
any death. Once it is time there is little or nothing anyone can do
about it’’.
According to the Salaries and Wages Commission report, justices
of the Supreme Court and the president of the Court of Appeal have
the same annual salary of N2.47 million each, while justices of the
Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge
of the FCT, president of the National Industrial Court, Grand Khadi
of the FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, President FCT Customary Court of
Appeal, Chief Judge of States, Grand Khadi of state Sharia Court of
Appeal and president of state Customary Court of Appeal all have
N1.99 million each as annual salary.
Judges of the Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, FCT
High Court, State High Courts, FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, FCT
Customary Court of Appeal, Khadi state Sharia Court of Appeal and
State Customary Court of Appeal all have N1.80 million each as
annual salary.
It would be recalled that while Professor Yemi Osinbajo was the
acting president, he approved the appointment of 19 judges for
National Industrial Court of Nigeria who were sworn in by the Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Friday, July
14, 2017.
The judges include Targema John Iorngee (Benue), Namtari Mahmood
Abba (Adamawa), Nweneka Gerald Ikechi (Rivers), Kado Sanusi
(Katsina), Adeniyi Sinmisola Oluyinka (Ogun) and Abiola Adunola
Adewemimo (Osun), Opeloye Ogunbowale A. represented Lagos State;
Essien Isaac Jeremiah (Akwa Ibom), Elizabeth Ama Oji (Ebonyi),
Arowosegbe Olukayode Ojo (Ondo), Ogbuanya Nelson S. Chukwudi
(Enugu), Bashir Zaynab Mohammed (Niger) and Galadima Ibrahim
Suleiman (Nasarawa).
Others are Bassi Paul Ahmed (Borno), Danjidda Salisu Hamisu
(Kano), Hamman Idi Polycarp (Taraba), Damulak Kiyersohot Dashe
(Plateau), Alkali Bashar Attahiru (Sokoto) and Mustapha Tijjani
(Jigawa).
Before then, former President Goodluck Jonathan had approved the
appointment of 12 new Judges for the National Industrial Court of
Nigeria on March 17, 2013.
The judges are Edith Agbakoba, Anthonia Ubaka, Olufunke Anuwe,
John Peters, Oyejoju Oyewumi, Kenneth Amadi, Peter Lifu, Rakiya
Haastrup, Waziri Abali, Rabi Gwadu, Lawal Mani and Ebeye Isele.
Culled From LEADFERSHIP
Stakeholders in the nation’s third arm of government
have raised concern over the frequently recorded death of justices
of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria
(NICN).
Those who spoke to our reporter said the development could be as
a result of either delayed payment of salaries or poor salaries and
wages earned by the judges.
They also noted that apart from poor remuneration, the working
environment of justices of the NICN is deplorable, compared to that
of justices of the regular courts.
One of the stakeholders who did not want his name in print told
our correspondent: “The condition under which judges of the
Industrial Court of Nigeria work is pitiable. This is coupled with
the fact that they are not paid good salaries like their colleagues
in the regular courts.
“With the load of work these justices handle from cases before
them, you don’t expect them to be psychologically stable in doing
the job when they have family problems to grapple with. That is why
judges of the regular courts are treated well in terms of welfare,
considering the arduous tasks which the dispensation of justice
demands”.
Recall that last Sunday in Kaduna, the presiding Judge of the
National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Kaduna division,
Justice Lawal Mani reportedly died at the age of 63 after a
protracted illness.
Incidentally, Justice Mani handled the case challenging Governor
Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State over the sack of 21,780
teachers.
He was also handling the case of illegal impeachment of the
chairman, Kaduna State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ), Garba Muhammad against the union and three others.
This is just as the presiding Judge of the Port Harcourt
Division of the NICN, Justice Auwal Ibrahim, died of heart failure
on Monday February 26, 2018.
His body was flown from Port Harcourt by the Rivers State
government to Kano before he was taken to Bauchi where he was
buried in Azare.
The late Justice Ibrahim served in the office of the Attorney
General of the Federation’s working committee on the Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria and was also on its Editorial Board.
But in a swift reaction, president of National Industrial Court
of Nigeria (NICN), Justice Babatunde Adeniran Adejumo, yesterday
dismissed the claim that poor remuneration and poor working
condition are the causes of deaths recorded recently among justices
of the court.
In a telephone chat with our reporter, Adejumo argued that the
deaths were coincidental, natural and were not triggered by either
load of work, poor salary earnings or delayed salary payments.
Justice Adejumo who was appointed NICN president on April 14,
2003 said the National Industrial Court of Nigeria is one of the
superior courts of record and as such, its earnings are through
first line charge as well.
According to him, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria,
which was established in 1976, is one of the superior courts of
record, and judicial officers in this court earn their salaries
through National Judicial Council (NJC) that collects such funds on
first line charge.
He said, “We are not owing our judicial officers, and indeed our
workers, any salaries, just as no judicial officer is suffering
from any work over-loads.
“Those deaths are natural as well as the sequence or frequency
you talked about are coincidental. There is nothing untoward about
any death. Once it is time there is little or nothing anyone can do
about it’’.
According to the Salaries and Wages Commission report, justices
of the Supreme Court and the president of the Court of Appeal have
the same annual salary of N2.47 million each, while justices of the
Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge
of the FCT, president of the National Industrial Court, Grand Khadi
of the FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, President FCT Customary Court of
Appeal, Chief Judge of States, Grand Khadi of state Sharia Court of
Appeal and president of state Customary Court of Appeal all have
N1.99 million each as annual salary.
Judges of the Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, FCT
High Court, State High Courts, FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, FCT
Customary Court of Appeal, Khadi state Sharia Court of Appeal and
State Customary Court of Appeal all have N1.80 million each as
annual salary.
It would be recalled that while Professor Yemi Osinbajo was the
acting president, he approved the appointment of 19 judges for
National Industrial Court of Nigeria who were sworn in by the Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Friday, July
14, 2017.
The judges include Targema John Iorngee (Benue), Namtari Mahmood
Abba (Adamawa), Nweneka Gerald Ikechi (Rivers), Kado Sanusi
(Katsina), Adeniyi Sinmisola Oluyinka (Ogun) and Abiola Adunola
Adewemimo (Osun), Opeloye Ogunbowale A. represented Lagos State;
Essien Isaac Jeremiah (Akwa Ibom), Elizabeth Ama Oji (Ebonyi),
Arowosegbe Olukayode Ojo (Ondo), Ogbuanya Nelson S. Chukwudi
(Enugu), Bashir Zaynab Mohammed (Niger) and Galadima Ibrahim
Suleiman (Nasarawa).
Others are Bassi Paul Ahmed (Borno), Danjidda Salisu Hamisu
(Kano), Hamman Idi Polycarp (Taraba), Damulak Kiyersohot Dashe
(Plateau), Alkali Bashar Attahiru (Sokoto) and Mustapha Tijjani
(Jigawa).
Before then, former President Goodluck Jonathan had approved the
appointment of 12 new Judges for the National Industrial Court of
Nigeria on March 17, 2013.
The judges are Edith Agbakoba, Anthonia Ubaka, Olufunke Anuwe,
John Peters, Oyejoju Oyewumi, Kenneth Amadi, Peter Lifu, Rakiya
Haastrup, Waziri Abali, Rabi Gwadu, Lawal Mani and Ebeye Isele.
Culled From LEADFERSHIP
Read more https://nairalaw.com/stakeholders-raise-the-alarm-over-multiple-death-of-industrial-court-justices/