Tinubu Asks Senate to Increase Number of Judges

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a set of judicial reforms to increase the number of judges in major courts across the country.

At the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from the president requesting an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of justices from 70 to 110.

Tinubu said the increase is needed to strengthen the court and reduce the growing backlog of cases.

The president also sent a bill seeking amendments to the Federal High Court Act to raise the number of judges from 70 to 90, an increase from the original provision of 50 judges.

He urged the Senate to consider the bill quickly.

The proposed amendments were referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.

In the same letter, Tinubu requested Senate confirmation of the appointment of Justice Oyewole Joseph Kayode to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The Senate also received a Court of Appeal Amendment Bill proposing the creation of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to help settle suitable cases outside the regular court system.

This bill was also referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.

In a separate communication, the president asked the Senate to amend 24 health sector bills, stating concerns over over-bloated board memberships in the sector.