The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, has asked the Senate to amend appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as contained in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) so that not all cases terminate at the apex court.
The CJN, who made the request Friday in Abuja, when members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters paid courtesy called on him, said the number of appeals pending and those received so far this year are mind-bungling.
Muhammad said not only that the Supreme Court of Nigeria is the busiest apex court in the world but that despite spiteful remarks, the entire judiciary of the country still remains the best under the globe.
He insisted that the federal lawmakers should amend the constitution to pave way for timely dispensation of justice and to reduce the stress the heavy burden of appeals are weighing on the Justices of the apex court.
‘’Many of us don’t sleep for 12 hours as recommended by stress managers. We don’t write judgement merely by stating that so, so so and so cases were filed by this and that, and end it up by saying appeal is hereby dismissed or upheld.
“We have to give reasons, which are the bedrock of judgement writing. Nigerian judiciary is one of the best in the world; and if nobody tells you, I am telling you today,” he said.
According to him, adding to the burdensomeness of work at the apex court is the failure to have the required number of Justices provided for in the 1999 Constitution.
“The constitution empowers the Supreme Court to have 21 justices, yet we are having less than that number. We will have to appoint more justices to fill the gap soon”, he explained.
Gross underfunding, he added, was another problem not only facing the apex court but the Judiciary as a whole.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), said both the Senate Standing Orders 2015 and the 1999 Constitution empower the committee to oversight of the Federal Judiciary.
He noted that since the judiciary plays a very crucial role in the sustenance and deepening of democratic core values, the committee would make necessary interventions to strengthen and guarantee its independence as well as ensure its proper funding.
The committee also visited the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, who also asked the senators to intervene in the poor funding of the judiciary.