Minister of the Federal Capital, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, defended the construction of new houses for judges by the FCT Administration, insisting the projects pose no threat to judicial independence despite objections from the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
The minister spoke after inspecting a series of judicial infrastructure projects in Abuja, including judges’ residences, ongoing works at the Court of Appeal Abuja Division, and the proposed housing for officers of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The minister dismissed concerns that executive’s involvement in providing such facilities could compromise judicial autonomy.
According to him, “The mere fact that the executive constructs buildings does not mean it will interfere with the judiciary.
“We have built public houses for the National Assembly and for the judiciary before. The Supreme Court of Nigeria was built by government. So there is nothing new in this.”
Wike accused the NBA leadership of inconsistency, arguing that the association frequently seeks government sponsorship for its activities while condemning similar interventions in the judiciary.
“All they are interested in is when state governments will sponsor NBA activities. If governments fund their conferences, does that mean they are no longer independent?” He queried.
He maintained that the housing projects are meant to improve the comfort and productivity of judicial officers, not influence their decisions.
“This is a voluntary act by government to make judicial officers comfortable and focused on their work. It is not done to erode judicial independence,” he added.
Wike, however, raised concerns about aspects of the finishing at the Court of Appeal project, despite its advanced stage of completion.
“Almost 90 per cent complete, but I must say it’s not the quality I expected. I have told the contractor that several errors must be corrected before inauguration,” he said.
He assured that the administration would continue monitoring contractors to ensure all projects are delivered according to specification and schedule.
