The Federal Government of Nigeria, led by Muhammadu Buhari, has yet to pay the entitlements of the country’s immediate past Chief Justice, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that this comes nine months after his retirement from service as the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in June 2022 due to unspecified health issues.
According to the Daily Post, the Federal Government was planning to pay ex-CJN Tanko a N2.5 billion severance package.
Remember that the National Judicial Council (NJC) approved a gratuity of 300% of the CJN’s annual basic salary of N3.38 million. This was a 300% increase over what previous CJNs were paid after leaving office. The federal government is also expected to build a mansion in Abuja or any other city of their choice and furnish it with a lump sum.
However, nine months after resigning at the age of 69, less than a year before his mandatory retirement age, the ex-CJN Tanko has been shuttling between Kaduna and Abuja for medical attention, with no idea when his entitlement would be paid.
This is despite the recommendation in sections 291 (2) and (3a-c) of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Section 2 of the Pensions Rights of Judges Act.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution and two other existing laws, namely the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMFAC, and the Pensions Rights of Judges Act, prioritize retired CJN’s welfare well enough for life, even if it starts with a rented flat and an immediate financial package before getting a retirement home within six months.
On Thursday, Reuben Atabo (SAN) expressed concern about the delay in paying Tanko’s entitlements, saying that nothing ever works in Nigeria.
Atabo told Daily Post:
The issue of entitlement of retired justices is lamentable. Has the late General Sani Abacha’s entitlement been paid since he died in 1999? There is no need for one to belabour himself over certain issues in Nigeria. If you advise the government on certain issues, they will not take them, they will do whatever they like.
Taking a different stance, human rights activist and lawyer Godwin Sani Omagbogu stated that a retired Chief Justice of Nigeria receiving his entitlement is a well-known issue in government circles, backed by laws, and that the delay in payment may be an isolated issue, especially since provisions for settlement are always made in the national budget.