Newscenter Media News Femi Falana, a renowned human rights lawyer, on Wednesday criticized Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for gifting houses and cars to judges.
Falana’s condemnation comes after Wike flagged off the construction of 40 houses for judges in Abuja in September, sparking public outrage.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Falana argued that judges should not receive gifts from the executive, emphasizing the judiciary’s constitutional autonomy.
“The minister of the federal capital territory operates like a state governor by virtue of Section 299 of the Constitution,” Falana stated. “So, he cannot say I am going to build 40 houses; 10 shall go to the federal high court, 10 shall go to judges in the FCT high court and 10 shall go to the court of appeal and supreme court, No.”
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Falana emphasized that Wike’s actions are unconstitutional, citing the minister’s limited budget to FCT affairs. “You cannot, as the head of the FCT, be dishing out gifts of cars and houses to judges in the federal high court, in the appeal court and the supreme court,” he added.
The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) also highlighted the potential conflict of interest, stating, “You have cases before these courts, on the theory of equality before the court you cannot be seen to be giving cars or houses to the judges who are going to determine your cases.”
Falana advocated for the National Judicial Council (NJC) to manage judges’ housing, emphasizing that executive assistance should go through the National Assembly. “If the executive wants to assist the judiciary, the appropriate approach is to go to the national assembly. You can have a supplementary budget,” he suggested.
Wike had earlier defended the housing project, claiming it was part of President Bola Tinubu’s welfare packages to promote judicial independence. However, Falana’s criticism underscores concerns about the separation of powers and potential undue influence.
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