Barely two weeks after 14 justices of the Supreme Court petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria over poor welfare of justices of the federation, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad has resigned his position as the CJN, citing health grounds as the rationale behind his resignation.
His media aide, Ahuraka Yusuf Isah confirmed this in a terse statement to newsmen.
Anonymous sources had told newsmen that the aggrieved judicial officers were disgruntled because the Supreme Court of Nigeria, under the leadership of Justice Muhammad, has worsened their situation by denying them the welfare package they are entitled to, even when the package was captured by the court’s budgetary allocation.
According to the officers, the relevant Federal Government agencies saddled with the responsibility of reviewing upward their salaries and allowances have kept them on the same salary for 14 years.
Reports have it that they have been longing for showdown with the CJN, on the grounds that the work they do is very serious and sensitive, which ordinarily requires the appropriate authorities to take good care of them to be able to deliver as expected.
Also, the Justices had accused the CJN of ignoring their repeated demand for improved welfare, despite the upward review of the budgetary allocation of the Judiciary.
It was also gathered that aside from the allegation that accommodation was not provided for new Justices that were sworn in since 2020, the aggrieved jurists accused the CJN of not allowing them to attend foreign training.
The justices also alleged that vehicles that were supplied to them were either refurbished or substandard.
It could be recalled that Justice Tanko took over from Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen who also bowed out of the bench before he clocked the mandatory retirement age of 70 years under controversial circumstances.
But for his resignation, he was supposed to steer the ship of the apex court till December 2023.
Tanko was supposed to be the judicial officer that would have sworn in the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 29, 2023.
Sources have it that the mantle of leadership has fallen on Justice Ariwoola in line with the age-long tradition in the bench.
The tradition, it was learnt, is that where an incumbent head of court vacates office either by reason of death, retirement, resignation or sack, the next most senior judicial officer in the court takes over.
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