Judges Not Owed Salary Arrears – Senate

Thu, Jan 26, 2017
By publisher
2 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Judiciary

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CONTRARY to the news making the rounds, the Senate on Thursday, January 26, debunked reports that federal judges were being owed four-month outstanding salary arrears.

David Umaru, chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, who spoke on the alleged inability of the federal government to pay federal judges, told the Senate that federal judges had been paid up-to-date.

Bala Ibn Na’Allah had informed the Senate that information available to him indicated that federal judges were being owed four -month salary arrears.

After the troubling information, the Senate mandated its committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and Finance to investigate the veracity of the information.

Umaru, who reported back to Senate in plenary on Thursday, January 26, told his colleagues that the December salary of federal judges was paid on January 17, 2017.

The Niger North lawmaker said because of the seriousness of the matter, he in company of John Enoh, chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, met officials the National Judicial Council, NJC, and Ministry of Finance to confirm the authenticity of the information that judges had not been paid for four months.

He said: “We have carried out the assignment given to us by this hallowed chamber. Myself and distinguished senator John Enoh jointly and severally consulted with the National Judicial Council, a body charged with the responsibility to collect, control and disburse all monies – capital and recurrent – for the judiciary.

“Also, the Federal Ministry of Finance that is responsible for the allocation and disbursement of funds to MDAs was also consulted.

“We found as a matter of fact that the judges had actually not been paid for the month of December. And that the judges were not owed in arrears for the remaining months. We have confirmed that the December payment was actually effected on January 17.”

—  Jan 26, 2017 @ 18:30 GMT

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