The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, ABUAD, Aare Afe Baba has lamented the poor standard of life of most Nigerian judges who drive rickety cars and reside in rented apartments of built-up areas.
He stated this during the presentation of a book, ‘Testament of Judicial Pronouncements,’ in Ado Ekiti on Sunday as part of activities to mark the retirement of Ekiti Chief Judge, Ayo Daramola.
Afe urged the federal and state governments to upgrade the salary of judicial officers, especially judges, to assure commitment and fairness in the handling of lawsuits, adding that he feels pity for the judiciary every time he encounters judges’ cars pack up on the road due to overuse.
He said, “Each time I see judges’ cars break down on the road due to the age of such cars, I feel sorry for the judiciary. There are situations where some of them don’t even have cars.
“Worse still, unlike the judges in those days who used to move around with their police orderlies into their gorgeous residences in the GRAs, many judicial officers now live in rented houses in built-up areas, and this is very risky.”
He added, “No successful senior advocates would abandon his lucrative practice to serve as a judge unless we address the issue of remuneration of judges.
“In the past, judges’ remuneration was at par with the remuneration of judges in England.
“Today, the salaries of Nigerian judges, when compared with the salaries of their counterparts in other countries, are, to say the least miserably low.”