By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate has appealed to the National Judicial Council to avoid the emergency approach in the appointment of Supreme Court Justices where vacancies were not filled as when due.
The appeal was made yesterday during the screening of the 11 Supreme Court justices by the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said, “I have this to say, first to the appointing authorities. The last time we experienced this kind of a thing was three years ago when I was chairman of the Senate committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal matters and we had to take dates of My Lord Justices together just like we have today and today, it is 11 of you.
“My appeal on behalf of all of us to the appointing authorities is the need to avoid this kind of situation.
“These positions did not just become vacant in one day. I recall with a sense of patriotic pain how long this committee had to wait even after some days, the list had been sent by the National Judicial Council and the senate had to wait for several months close to nine months for the names to be forwarded for whatever reason, either they waited for one person or the other to make their list.
“Today 11 people. My hope and prayer is that in the Supreme Court, we don’t have a class of 8, I pray that is not happening but please let us not have a class of 11.
“As these vacancies occur it is important that those who are next in line be screened and appointed immediately.
“To the federal government, generally I will also want to say that what is happening here today also has its financial implications and the budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should speak to it.
“Appointment of judges comes with certain fiscal responsibility. They must have offices, they must have accommodation, and they must be able to.do their work with the basic paraphernalia of the office including their vehicles.
“Let it not be that after this exercise the NJC would now be saddled with the responsibility of having to run from pillar to pole to ensure that My Lords can settle down and of course to the entire public who also are interested in what is going on today.
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“What we are doing in the Senate through this committee is a final round of the confirmation process, screening has been done thoroughly by the Federal Judicial Service Commission, so that between FJSC and NJC a lot has been done.
“We are not here to begin to look into the circumstances of the birth of any of the nominees. The manner of judgement they delivered in the past we are not saddled with that responsibility.
“Let no one be surprised that these names were read today on the floor of the Senate and were referred to the committee and tomorrow this committee is expected to submit its report back to plenary.
“It is because we know that major screening has been done including even security screening by the department of security service, by the police and all relevant Authority.
“This is the only committee where every member is a professional, every member of this committee is a lawyer.”
Making his opening remarks before the session went into closed doors, Monguno said the legislature had a responsibility to “jealously guard the independence of the judiciary” by insulating it against abuses.
He cited insufficient funding as one major problem of the judiciary, which Monguno said the Senate was addressing in the 2024 budget.
Monguno spoke on how his committee suspended the consideration of the budget of the judiciary and invited the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, to appear before it and explain the yearly under-funding of the judiciary.
He added that the National Assembly was ready to work closely with the judiciary to bring about needed reforms in the country’s body of laws.
“We are going to collaborate to bring about necessary reforms in our laws; to bring them in tandem with the realities of today.
“We want the Supreme Court to have its full complement so that their work would be unhindered”, Monguno stated.
Earlier, President Bola Tinubu’s letter seeking confirmation of the 11 appointed justices of the Supreme Court was read at plenary.
The 11 Justices were recommended by the National Judicial Council for Tinubu’s approval to fill the vacant positions at the Supreme Court following the death and resignation of some justices.
The justices include Justice Haruna Tsammani (North-East), who chaired the Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Moore Adumein (South-South), Justice Jummai Sankey (North-Central), Justice Chidiebere Uwa (South-East) and Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme (South-East)
The others include Justice Obande Ogbuinya (South-East), Justice Stephen Adah (North-Central), Justice Habeeb Abiru (South-West), Justice Jamilu Tukur (North-West), Justice Abubakar Umar (North-West) and Justice Mohammed Idris (North-Central).
