By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, decried what he called the deplorable accommodation conditions of serving Justices in the country.
This is as he promised to fete Judges in the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary with no fewer than 50 units of posh duplexes before June 2026.
The pledge is coming against the backdrop of widespread condemnation of the tendency by the former Governor of Rivers state to dangle temptating gestures before serving Justices in the country.
Not a few have strongly criticized the penchant among the political class to be content with dishing out periodic patronages to Judicial officers rather than allowing for the independence of the third arm of Government as enshrined in the constitution of the country.
According to the critics, such periodic hand-outs from the Executive Branch of Government has tended to erode the Independence of the Judiciary as well as compromise the administration of justice in the country.
Speaking at the occasion of the commissioning of Abuja Magistrate Court Complex, Wike assured that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is determined to address the huge short falls in accommodation needs of Judges in the country, particularly in the FCT
According to him, the 50 units of duplexes will be fully ready by June, 2026.
The first phase of 20 units,will be ready in October 2025, while the second and last batch of 30 units will be handed over in June 2026.
He expressed serious concern that a large number of Judges do not only live as tenants, but do so at the mercy of their landlords.
This is as he lamented the potential dangers posed to the lives of Judges living in public places ,and at the same time handling criminal cases in their Courts.
“Sometimes, when you go out and see where judges are living as tenants, it is disturbing.
“In some cases, they are living in the same areas with the same criminals that they are presiding over their matters in Court.
In that situation, how do you guarantee their safety? And then, in some other instances, they are at the mercy of their landlords when they are not able to pay on time.
“Their landlords can use their vehicles to block the gate to protest non-payment of their rates,”Wike noted
He, therefore, assured that the present administration will continue to prioritize the issue of Judges’ accommodation , with a view to ensuring that living conditions are improved .
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