Tinubu Writes Senate, Seeks Increase In Number Of Judges

President Bola Tinubu has sent a request to the Nigerian Senate seeking an amendment to the law to increase the number of judges across major courts in the country.

Naijaonpoint reports that the President’s requests are contained in a Judicial Reform Bill transmitted to the lawmakers.

Tinubu cited the need to strengthen the court and address the growing volume of cases.

According to the letter read during plenary on Tuesday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu is seeking an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to raise the number of justices from 70 to 110.

He also transmitted a bill seeking amendments to the Federal High Court Act to increase the number of judges from 70 to 90, up from the original provision of 50 judges.

President Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expedited consideration.

Following the reading of the President’s letter, the proposed amendments were referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.

In a similar development, the President also requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of Justice Oyewole Joseph Kayode as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria following his recent recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The Senate also received a Court of Appeal Amendment Bill proposing the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to facilitate the settlement of appropriate cases outside the traditional court system. This bill was also referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.

Furthermore, President Tinubu forwarded a separate communication requesting amendments to 24 health sector bills aimed at addressing issues related to over-bloated board memberships.