President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate’s approval for a series of judicial reforms aimed at increasing the number of judges across key courts in Nigeria.
At the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, read a letter from President Tinubu, in which he requested an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to raise the number of justices from 70 to 110.
The President cited the need to strengthen the court and address the growing volume of cases.
He also transmitted a bill seeking amendments to the Federal High Court Act to increase the number of judges from 70 to 90, up from the original provision of 50 judges.
President Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expedited consideration. The proposed amendments were referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
In addition to the proposed increases, the President sought 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 proposing the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to facilitate the settlement of appropriate cases outside the traditional court system. This bill was also referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.
Furthermore, President Tinubu forwarded a separate communication requesting amendments to 24 health sector bills aimed at addressing issues related to over-bloated board memberships.
