The Senate, yesterday, endorsed moves to increase the number of Federal High Court judges from 70 to 100.
The resolution of the senate was sequel to a second passage of a bill, titled “an Act to amend the Federal High Court Act to make provision for increase in the number of Judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 100”, sponsored by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. The Leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma Egba, led the debate on the floor.
Leading the debate, Senator Ndoma-Egba said, “Over time, the number of judges has become grossly inadequate in view of the extensive expansion of the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. With a very wide jurisdiction including government revenue and taxation, companies and allied matters, admiralty, intellectual property legislation, immigration and emigration, drugs and poisons, pre-election, constitutional and criminal matters, to mention but a few, the workload of the judges who are spread thinly across the divisions of the court is fast assuming unbearable proportions”
He added “the number of judges sitting in the divisions of the court is inadequate.
Lagos for instance has only eight judges when 20 are what are considered just about adequate. Port Harcourt and Abuja has three and seven judges respectively while 10 and 15 are considered appropriate.