In a valedictory court session held in his honor, the recently retired Supreme Court Justice, Musa Dattijo Muhammad, expressed his concern over the inadequate salary structure for justices in Nigeria.
During the session, Muhammad revealed that the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court earns a higher salary than the justices themselves.
He disclosed that while the apex court registrar receives a monthly salary of N1.2 million, the justices earn a mere N751,000, which represents a significant disparity of 37.4%.
Furthermore, Muhammad bemoaned the fact that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, earns a considerably low salary of N400,000 in comparison to the N1.2 million monthly salary of the Supreme Court Registrar, which amounts to a staggering 66.7% difference.
He expressed his dismay at the decrease in justices’ salaries despite their increased responsibilities, stating, “It may interest one to know that the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court earns more than the Justices. While she earns N1.2 million per month, justices take home N751,000 monthly.”
“The CJN, on his part, takes home N400,000 plus. The salary of a Justice, curiously, drops rather than increases when he gets the added responsibility of being a CJN,” he added.
He further expressed his concern over the unjust and embarrassing salary discrepancy between the justices and the Chief Registrar, remarking, “That the unjust and embarrassing salary difference between the justices and the Chief Registrar still abides remains intriguing, to say the least.”
