Lawmakers Transmit Bill to Increase Retirement Age of Judicial Officers

The Nigerian House of Representatives, has resolved to transmit a bill that seeks a uniform retirement age for judicial officers to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

Essentially, the bill seeks to extend the retirement age of high court judges from 65 to 70 years.

The passage of the bill followed the adoption of a motion entitled ‘Passage of Constitution (Fifth) Alteration Bill No. 20 (Uniform Retirement Age for Judicial Officers and Pension Rights) 2023,’ sponsored by Hon. Idris Wase and 69 other lawmakers.

Presenting the motion at plenary, the minority leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu who was a co-sponsor recalls that “On 5 April, 2023 the Clerk to the National Assembly was directed to transmit Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bill No. 47 that met the requirement of Section 9(2) of the Constitution to the President for his assent.

The House urged the Houses of Assembly of Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau, Sokoto and Taraba States that were yet to forward their resolutions to do so in compliance with Constitutional obligation.

Presented for second reading, the bill showed that out of N502. 95 billion, N78.13 billion is for personnel costs; and N116.97 billion is for overhead costs; while the balance of N307.84 billion is for capital project.

It reads: “a bill to authorize the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, the total sum of N502,958,983,377.00, of which N116,976,164,567.00 is for Overhead Costs; while the balance of N307,847,115,280.00 only, is for Capital Project; for the service of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for the financial year commencing from 1 January and ending on 31 December, 2023.

The House has directed the National Assembly Clerk, Magaji Tambuwal to handle the assignment.

It will be recalled that the bill was part of 46 constitution alteration bills transmitted to States Houses of Assembly for concurrence in March last year for their respective inputs.

N.O