Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has threatened to drag the Federal Government to court over the newly built luxury houses allocated to judges in Abuja’s Katampe district, describing the gesture as discriminatory and contrary to the principle of equality before the law.
Falana while speaking in a video shared by NewsCentral on Thursday, questioned the legal basis for providing exclusive housing benefits to judges while other categories of public servants continue to face poor welfare and inadequate housing.
Expressing disappointment over the handover ceremony, he said he was unable to identify any law that justified the government’s action.
“We have got to a stage in the country where we need to challenge the special privileges given to the rich and top public officers in the country,” he said.
“Yesterday, I was watching the telly, I was very sad when I saw that the federal government was handing over the keys of houses to judges, and I asked myself under what law we are operating from, because it’s discriminatory and illegal. You must treat us equally in our country.”
Falana clarified that he was not opposed to judges being adequately accommodated, stressing that judicial officers deserve decent and secure living conditions. However, he argued that similar consideration should be extended to other public servants.
“Judges are entitled to accommodation, by the way. They must live comfortably; they must work securely, but other citizens must be equally provided for,” he said.
The senior lawyer warned that the matter would soon be tested in court, insisting that government policies must comply with the constitutional principle of equality.
“If you don’t do it, you can be challenged, and that is going to happen very soon, because what is good for the goose is good for the gander,” he added.
Falana cited university lecturers as an example of public servants who have been neglected despite their contributions, noting that many professors lack official accommodation and are poorly remunerated.
He also criticised the housing and welfare benefits enjoyed by former governors now serving as lawmakers, arguing that many retain multiple official entitlements while career civil servants retire without similar support.
(Ripples)