CJN earns N500,000 monthly, S’Court reveals

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, earns N500,000 monthly as salary, the Supreme Court has revealed.
The apex Court made the revelation on Tuesday while reacting to a publication alleging that it was operating a secret account from which illegal withdrawals and payments were being made to Justices, including the CJN.
It said there was no truth in the allegation that it operates a secret account from which its justices, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, benefited from illegal withdrawal of funds.
However, the Supreme Court, in a statement signed by its Director of Press and Information, Dr. Akande Festus, said the salaries and allowances paid to its Justices were “either provided for or alluded to in the Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders [Salaries and Allowances, etc.] [Amendment] Act, 2008″.

According to the statement, the 2008 Amendment Act made provisions for upward review of the annual basic salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of the Justices. It also disclosed that all the approvals made in the past by former CJNs were in line with the provisions of the Act, with the last one made on July 13, 2010.
The apex court further revealed that Justices of the Supreme Court collects $23,400 as annual estacode and £10,000 as annual medical allowance.
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“The pegging of this annual medical fee at £10,000 was a product of high discretion and commendable financial prudence to guard against a situation where varying medical bills that could even be as high as £50,000 or more would be submitted for reimbursement”, the Court said.
Also contrary to the report, the Supreme Court said lawyers working at the courts collect only N400,000 per year as robbing allowance while the Deputy Chief Registrars collect N500,000.
According to the Court, the N500,000 salary the CJN receives monthly is far less than what the personal assistant to someone else receives monthly.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication in The Nation newspaper of Monday, November 21, 2016 with the above caption. It is rather unfortunate that the said ‘’facts and figures” were hurriedly packaged and delivered to the public domain without due diligence in verifying them to ascertain their veracity and legality.
“The Supreme Court, like any other government institution, operates within the provisions of the Constitutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and extant laws.
“In view of the information being peddled within the public space, we are thus obliged to offer clarifications and proper enlightenment on the issues in contention.
“Virtually all the salaries and allowances listed in the publication are either provided for or alluded to in the ‘’Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders [Salaries and Allowances, etc.] [Amendment] Act, 2008.
“For avoidance of doubt, Part II (B) of the Act, under the sub-head: ‘’Allowances and Fringe Benefits for Judicial Officers (Federal and State),” outlines the following categories to be covered by allowances and fringe benefits: Accommodation, Utilities, Domestic Staff, Entertainment, Medical Allowance, Security, Furniture allowance, Personal Assistant, Motor Vehicle Loan, Severance Gratuity, Retirement Benefit, Leave Allowance, Motor Vehicle and Fuel Allowance, Hardship Allowance, Newspaper Allowance, Estacode, Duty Tour Allowance, Outfit Allowance, Special Assistant, etc”, the statement read.
By Timothy Enietan-Matthews…