FG asked to bridge gap between judges, magistrates

[Mirror]

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alahaji Lai Mohammed, yesterday urged the Federal Government to bridge the gap between judges and magistrates in the country's judicial system.

Mohammed said this while delivering a lecture tagged; "The disparity in the judiciary and the need for a review."

The occasion was the 2013 National Convention of Magistrates, which was organised by the National Magistrates Association of Nigeria. He said there should be no line of disparity between the magistrates and the high court judges as they are both administrators in the delivery of justice.

His words; "The disparity between the magistrate and high courts has acted as a bottleneck that has set back the justice administration system in the country."

According to him, remuneration, appointment and welfare packages of magistrates should be harmonised and made to be commensurate with that of the higher bench. "Justice is the centre point of both the magistrates' court and the high court, so what is good for the goose must be good for the gander," he said.

"Welfare package of the magistrates should be improved so that they do not succumb to bribery and corruption". Mohammed also disclosed that out of 104 magistrates in Lagos State, only four magistrates have been appointed to the higher bench in the last 10 years.

[Folami David]

Well if that would bring about effectiveness in that sector then it should be done a.s.a.p