The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration will put an end to judges in the FCT living in rented apartments.
Wike gave this assurance on Monday while flagging off the design and construction of official residences for the Heads of Courts, including the President of the Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, and the President of the Industrial Court.
According to the minister, President Tinubu is committed to improving the welfare and working conditions of judicial officers.
He said, “When Mr President appointed us, one of the issues he raised was the need to enhance the welfare and performance of judicial officers. With my experience as a former governor, I told him that one key change his administration must make is to ensure that judges no longer live in rented houses.
“Sometimes, these judges don’t even know their landlords or neighbours, yet they preside over serious criminal and sensitive cases. You can’t tell what risks they face living under such conditions.”
Wike added that the initiative marked a historic step in the FCT.
“I challenge anyone to show when something like this has ever been done in the history of this country, at least in the FCT. I must commend the Attorney General for driving this vision.
“Before the end of Mr President’s first term, no FCT High Court judge will be living in a rented apartment,” he assured.