The Supreme Court of Nigeria may soon have its full complement of justices as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday asked the Senate to confirm 11 justices recommended for the Supreme Court bench by the National Judicial Council.

The President’s request was contained in a letter read by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during the plenary. The president said the request was pursuant to section 231(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Section 230 (2) (b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) provides that: “The Supreme Court of Nigeria shall consist of such number of Justices not exceeding 21 as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.”

However, the last time the bench of the apex court got very close to achieving its full compliment was in 2020, when eight Justices of the Court of Appeal were elevated to join 12 of their brother justices on the bench of the apex court.

The bench has since witnessed a steady depletion from 20 to its current 10 Justices, a situation the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, described as the lowest in the history of the country’s judiciary.

The depletion was attributed to mandatory retirement and death in the last three years. The National Judicial Council (NJC) headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria recommended the 11 nominees to President Tinubu.

The nominees have to be cleared by the Senate before they can be sworn in as Supreme Court justices. They have earlier been cleared by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the President’s letter to the Senate.

On the list are Justices Haruna Tsammani (North-east) who chaired the Presidential Election Petition Court, Moore Adumein (South-south), Jummai Sankey (North-central), Chidiebere Uwa (South-east) and Chioma Nwosu-Iheme (South-east)

Others are Justices Obande Ogbuinya (South-east), Stephen Adah (North-central), Habeeb Abiru (South-west), JJamilu Tukur (North-west), Abubakar Umar (North-west) and Mohammed Idris (North-central).

Only four of the six geo-political zones of the country are currently represented on the Supreme Court bench. South-west and North-east have three justices each, while the South-south and North-west have two each. The South-east and North-central do not currently have any representation on the Supreme Court bench.

The Senate President on Wednesday referred the request to the Senate Committee on Judiciary for the screening of the nominees and further legislative input.

Christmas: Tinubu Orders 50% Discount for Inter – State Road Travels, 100% for Train Trips

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday approved a 50 percent discount for inter-state road travels and 100 percent for train trips for Nigerians wishing to travel home to celebrate Christmas with their families. It takes effect from Thursday.

The directive was announced by the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, while addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Wednesday. The minister addressed journalists alongside the Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, their transportation counterpart, Alhaji Saidu Alkali, and the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.

His words: “From tomorrow, Nigerians wishing to embark on inter-state travel to any part of the country from Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Ibadan, Akure, Maiduguri, Sokoto and other major inter-state transportation hubs will be able to do so at half the cost”.

“What this means is that from tomorrow, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via minibuses, luxury buses at 50% discount of current cost and all our train services on the routes the trains currently serve at zero cost to and fro on their travels this holiday season”, he stressed.

Mr Alake who said a committee, which he chairs, had already met with all relevant transportation bodies across Nigeria and reached an agreement that the government will bear 50 per cent cost of transportation based on the prices at the time the meeting held.

The minister said air transportation is not part of the arrangement because the target of the president “is the masses.”
He said the discount will run from December 21 to January 4, 2024.

Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) at public function in honour of the Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio attended by President Tinubu drew the President’s attention to the hardship Nigerians are facing.

“What this means is that from tomorrow, Nigerians willing to travel can board public transport via minibuses, luxury buses at 50% discount of current cost and all our train services on the routes the trains currently serve at zero cost to and fro on their travels this holiday season.”

The federal government said air transportation is not part of the arrangement because the target of the president “is the masses.”