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President Goodluck Jonathan has
forwarded a bill seeking to increase the number of justices of the
Appeal Court from 70 to 90 to the National Assembly. The bill to amend
the Court of Appeal Act 2005 to increase the number of justices from 70
to 90 and other related matters was forwarded to the National Assembly
on January 7, while the lawmakers were still on vacation.
The increment of the number of justices
of the Appeal Court is in line with the ongoing reform of the judiciary
by the executive. The bill was forwarded alongside the bill for an act
to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, 2004 to provide for the new
national minimum wage. The Minimum Wage Amendment Act is meant to
accommodate the negotiated N18,500 minimum wage agreement reached
between the Nigeria Labour Congress and the presidency following
protests by Labour for an increase.
“It is my hope that the distinguished senate of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria will consider and pass these amendment bills in your usual
expeditious manner,” the president said in his letters to the Senate,
with duplicate copies to the House of Representatives. Also, the
president requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of Austen
A.T. Pabor (Bayelsa State) and Timothy T. Sule (Benue State) as members
of the National Population Commission. Mr. Sule, if confirmed, would be
going into his second term on the board of the NPC while Mr. Pabor will
replace P.K.C Atuwo who passed away in 2010.