President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, signed the bill on retirement age for judicial officers into law
The development comes two weeks after Tinubu assumed office as President and Commander – in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Efforts by the Federal lawmakers to see the bill enacted was said to be jettisoned by the former president, Muhammadu Buhari following advice by the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami that doing so may result in more problems in the judiciary.
The bill was the first President Tinubu has signed since his assumption of office on May 29.
Judges that are covered by the new law are those in Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, Abuja High Court, High Courts of States, Sharia Court of Appeal, National Industrial Court, and Customary Courts of Appeal .
The law, according to the former minister, is “far-reaching, excessively wide, and ambiguous,” and it offers no “justification” for raising the retirement age and compensation for judges.
On May 2,2023, the National Assembly transmitted bill to Buhari for assent to extend retirement age of judges from 65- 70yrs
But the former president failed to sign it before leaving office. The former Attorney General, Malami,in a memo dated May 23 and addressed to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President warned Buhari that signing the bill would place a “huge financial burden” on the federal government
Malami said that assenting to the bill will stall judges career advancement as “those currently on the bench would have to stay longer, preventing others from being elevated to higher courts”
He added that the law is far – reaching, excessively wide, and ambiguous, and it offers no “justification” for raising the retirement age and compensation for judges.
