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The Chairman of the Body of Benchers and former President of Nigerian Bar Association, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has disclosed how he and his team succeeded in convincing President Muhammadu Buhari, to commit to ensuring that urgent steps were taken to improve the welfare of judges in Nigeria.
He said the recent meeting of the organisation with Buhari afforded him the opportunity to brief the President directly on the state of affairs in the judiciary.
According to him, after the meeting, Buhari acceded to their request for an urgent intervention to address the challenges of the third arm of government.
Olanipekun spoke in Abuja on Sunday night at an event held to celebrate the 80th birthday of a retired Justice of the Supreme Court and traditional ruler of the Tuomo Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Justice Francis Tabai.
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Olanipekun said, “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.
“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.”