Mr Bayo Akinlade, Convener of the Fight Against Corruption in the Judiciary, on Wednesday in Lagos, called for improved condition of service for lower courts judges in Nigeria to enhance justice administration
Akinlade made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while celebrating the commencement of the 2024/2025 Legal Year of the Lagos State Judiciary.
He said tbat there was need for reforms in the justice sector to promote speedy dispensation of justice.
Akinlade said that lower court judges deserved more respect and better remuneration.
He urged that the new legal year should record such.
“While the Federal Government is responsive to the plights of higher court judges, state governments are yet to do much about salaries of magistrates and customary court judges,” he said.
The lawyer added that state governments should provide adequate infrastructure at the lower courts.
“In the new legal year, it is important for state governments to afford better working conditions and improved emoluments for lower court judges,” he said
A rights campaigner, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, emphasised the need for a thorough reform in the judicial sector.
“All strata of the judicial system need a rejig. It will not be a crime if we begin to focus on specialisation of the different divisions of the high courts.
“In the new legal year, I want to see a judge with deep knowledge of criminal law remain in that division rather than going around the divisions.
“The same goes for admiralty, the law of the sea, international law, land law, debt recovery, aviation law, civil, matrimonial causes and election law, among others.
“This should go round all high courts in Nigeria both federal and state. After all, the National Industrial Court was established to take care of employment issues and related matters,” he said.
Ataene said that judges could rise to the Supreme Court from the divisions.
“For the independence of the judiciary to be truly entrenched, judges of the appeal and supreme courts should go through a rigorous and credible election in the divisions they have chosen to run.
“More so, there should be a category of cases that should terminate at the Court of Appeal,” he said. (NAN)
