Tinubu’s Tenure Will End Judges’ Rent Era, Says Wike
By Emmanuel Daniji
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured that by the end of President Bola Tinubu’s first tenure, no judge serving within the FCT will live in a rented apartment.
Wike made the declaration on Monday in Abuja during the groundbreaking ceremony for new residential quarters designed for the heads of key federal courts, including the President of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Judges of the Federal High Court and FCT High Court, and the President of the National Industrial Court.
According to the minister, the housing initiative reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare and working conditions of judicial officers across Nigeria.
“We cannot continue to have judges living in rented houses,” Wike said. “Sometimes, they don’t even know their landlords or neighbours, yet they preside over sensitive and criminal cases. That is risky. Mr President has decided to change this narrative once and for all.”
Wike disclosed that the ongoing construction of 40 housing units — comprising 10 for Justices of the Court of Appeal, 10 for Judges of the Federal High Court, and 20 for Judges of the FCT High Court — would be completed before the end of the year. He further assured that the project for the Industrial Court judges would soon commence.
Each residence, he noted, will be titled in the name of the respective judicial officer, making it their personal property upon retirement.
“This is about dignity, security, and respect for those who uphold our laws,” Wike added, pledging a 12-month completion timeline for the entire project.
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the development as a “collective commitment to strengthening the pillars of justice and governance.” She emphasised that providing befitting residences for judicial officers symbolises honour, dignity, and institutional pride.
In his remarks, the President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, lauded the initiative as a step toward judicial independence. He said decent housing was not a privilege but a constitutional entitlement that ensures judges perform without fear or external interference.
“Judicial officers deliver better when their personal security and mental well-being are assured,” Kanyip said, adding that the project was a practical demonstration of Tinubu’s support for the judiciary.
Also speaking, the Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Husseni Yusuf, praised both Tinubu and Wike for what he described as “purposeful leadership that places justice at the core of national development.”
He noted that the provision of purpose-built residences for heads of courts was not just an infrastructural milestone but a strategic move to safeguard the independence, welfare, and integrity of the judiciary.
“This initiative transcends brick and mortar,” Yusuf said. “It’s an affirmation of confidence in the judicial system and the values it upholds.”
With construction equipment already mobilised to site, the initiative marks a new chapter in the administration’s push to strengthen judicial independence through improved welfare and infrastructure in the FCT.
