By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to provide houses to judicial officers, questioning the legality of the initiative and warning that it could undermine public confidence in the independence of the judiciary.
Speaking during a public engagement, Falana asked, “What law are we operating?”, arguing that there is no constitutional or statutory provision authorising the Executive to gift houses to judges.
He maintained that judicial officers are entitled to salaries, allowances and benefits as provided by law, not discretionary gifts from the Executive arm of government.
The senior lawyer cautioned that while improving the welfare of judges is essential, such interventions must be carried out through constitutionally recognised processes and institutional frameworks to avoid creating the perception of executive influence over the judiciary.
He stressed that the doctrine of separation of powers requires each arm of government to operate independently without undue interference.
Falana’s remarks come amid growing debate over the housing scheme recently unveiled by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for judicial officers.
While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has defended the initiative as a legitimate welfare programme, critics argue that such benefits should be institutionalised through the National Judicial Council (NJC) and appropriate legislative provisions rather than being presented as executive gifts.
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