JUDICIAL OFFICE HOLDERS SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES ACT

What Is This Policy?

An Act to prescribe improved salaries, allowances, and fringe benefits for judicial office holders in Nigeria, delivering a 300% increase to address prolonged stagnation in judicial remuneration.

Who Does It Target?

All judicial office holders in Nigeria, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeal Justices, Federal and State High Court Judges, and other judicial officers.

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

End the prolonged stagnation of judicial officer remuneration, improve welfare of the judiciary, attract and retain qualified professionals, and strengthen judicial independence and integrity.

Key Features

300% Salary Increase: Raises the monthly pay of all judicial officers by approximately 300% CJN Annual Salary: Chief Justice of Nigeria to earn N64 million annually (approximately N5.39 million monthly) Comprehensive Package: Includes basic salary, allowances, severance gratuity, duty tour allowance, estacode, and motor vehicle loan All Courts Covered: Applies to Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, FCT Courts, State Courts, Sharia Courts, and Customary Courts

Current Status

Rollout Stage: Signed into law by President Tinubu in August 2024; now active Coverage: All judicial office holders at federal and state levels across Nigeria Funding: Captured in the 2024 Appropriation Act Key Milestone: Revises the Certain Political, Public, and Judicial Office Holders Act by eliminating old provisions pertaining to judicial officers

How to Access

The Act applies automatically to all serving judicial officers. Salary adjustments are implemented through the relevant court administrations and the National Judicial Council.

Important Terms

Supreme Court Justices earn N61.4 million annually President of the Court of Appeal earns N62.4 million annually Chief Judges of Federal High Court, FCT High Court, and National Industrial Court earn N7.9 million annually each Includes severance gratuity, leave allowance, and estacode provisions

Impact & Metrics

The Act addresses decades of poor remuneration for judicial officers, aiming to strengthen judicial independence, reduce corruption incentives, and improve the quality of justice delivery across Nigeria.

Official Resources

Website: supremecourt.gov.ng Contact: National Judicial Council, Three Arms Zone, Abuja

Legal Framework

The Judicial Office Holders Salaries and Allowances Act operates under Section 84 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires that judicial remuneration be charged directly to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. It operates alongside the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act (which recommends remuneration for judicial officers), the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission Act, and the Finance (Control and Management) Act.