Wole Olanipekun (SAN), the chairman of the Body of Benchers and a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, has revealed how he and his colleagues were able to persuade President Muhammadu Buhari to pledge to see that immediate action was made to enhance the welfare of judges in Nigeria.
According to him, the group’s most recent meeting with Buhari gave him the chance to personally update the President on the situation with the judiciary.
After the meeting, he claims that Buhari granted their plea for an immediate intervention to solve the problems facing the third branch of government.
Olanipekun, on Sunday evening in Abuja, gave a speech at a celebration honoring Justice Francis Tabai, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and the traditional head of the Tuomo Kingdom in the Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, who turned 80.
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“We were frank with the President. We told him everything. We also told him that if we don’t maintain justice, justice will undo us soon. We told him how we interfaced with Justices of the Supreme Court and what they told us about their working conditions,” Olanipekun said.
“We told him (Buhari) how bad things are with the judiciary; that justices are not encouraged, that they are underpaid. What they give to justices are peanuts when compared with the other arms of government.
“In fairness to Mr President, perhaps, he did not know the gravity of the situation until I explained everything to him when we met him last Thursday.”
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