President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate’s approval for a series of judicial reforms aimed at expanding the number of judges across key courts to strengthen Nigeria’s justice delivery system.
At the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from the President in which he sought an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of justices from 70 to 110, citing the growing volume of cases before the court.
President Tinubu also transmitted a bill proposing amendments to the Federal High Court Act to raise the number of judges from 70 to 90, an increase from the original statutory provision of 50 judges.
He urged the Senate to accord the bills expedited consideration, noting their importance to improving judicial efficiency. The proposed amendments were subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for legislative processing.
In addition, the President requested Senate confirmation of the appointment of Justice Oyewole Joseph Kayode as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The Senate also received a Court of Appeal Amendment Bill seeking the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to promote the settlement of suitable cases outside the conventional court system. This bill was equally referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.
Furthermore, President Tinubu transmitted a separate request seeking amendments to 24 health sector bills, aimed at addressing concerns over over-bloated board memberships.
