Falana Threatens Legal Action Over Judges’ Luxury Homes

• Human rights lawyer says exclusive housing scheme for judges violates constitutional principle of equality.
• Insists judges deserve decent accommodation but other public servants should enjoy similar benefits.
• Warns Federal Government will face a court challenge over what he describes as discriminatory treatment.

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has threatened to drag the Federal Government before a court over the allocation of newly constructed luxury homes to judges in Abuja, describing the arrangement as discriminatory and inconsistent with the constitutional principle of equal treatment.

Falana said while judicial officers deserve decent accommodation to enable them discharge their duties independently and securely, extending such benefits exclusively to one category of public servants amounts to unequal treatment under the law.

ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!

Speaking in a video circulated by NewsCentral on Thursday, the senior lawyer said the government must stop creating special privileges for a select class of public officials while neglecting millions of other workers who equally serve the country.

“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.

READ ALSO: Falana, Falz Lead Lagos Democracy Day Protest Over Insecurity, Hardship

Reflecting on the official handover of the houses, Falana questioned the legal basis for the government’s action.

“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,” he stated.

Falana clarified that his position should not be interpreted as opposition to providing housing for judges, stressing that judicial officers require secure and comfortable accommodation because of the nature of their responsibilities.

“You can’t take out judges. 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.

He warned that the policy would soon be subjected to judicial interpretation.

“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.

The senior advocate argued that other professionals rendering critical national service deserve similar consideration, citing university lecturers as an example.

“If you have a professor who also has to render services to society, and those professors are not paid well, nobody talks of providing houses for them now. They were living in rented quarters. These days, there are not enough quarters for them, so we must also look at that,” he said.

Falana also criticised what he described as the generous post-tenure benefits enjoyed by former governors who are now members of the National Assembly.

“Governors who are in the National Assembly, about 21 of them, are taking salaries from the National Assembly and jumbo allowances, and they are also entitled to a house in the state where they govern for four or eight years, and another house in Abuja. And you have a civil servant who has worked for 35 years, and he’s just turned out at the end of the day,” he said.

According to him, the principle of equality before the law should guide government decisions affecting all categories of public servants.

“So, we must insist that equality before the law in our country is respected,” Falana stated.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration recently completed 40 housing units for judicial officers in Katampe, Abuja, as part of an initiative championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. President Bola Tinubu has already commissioned completed batches for Federal High Court and Court of Appeal judges.

Wike has said the houses will be allocated on an owner-occupier basis, subject to presidential approval.

The housing project has, however, continued to generate public debate, with critics arguing that the exclusive allocation could compromise public perception of judicial independence, while supporters maintain that adequate welfare is essential for an effective and impartial judiciary.