Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has called for an urgent reform of the justice system in the country, saying it was worried that public confidence in the judiciary remained at very low levels.The legal body, in a communique it issued to mark the end of its 63rd Annual General Conference, AGC, further demanded an upward review of the remuneration of judges across the federation.It recommended that issues involving the remuneration of judicial officers should not only be separated from the public sector, but also removed from the purview of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC.Conference also recommended an independent salary scale for judicial officers. Conference recommends that urgent attention be paid to the plight of magistrates and other lower court judges, the NBA stated in the communique that was read to newsmen yesterday by its National President, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN.Conference recommended practical strategies to address security concerns. These include community involvement in policing, youth engagement through job creation, enhanced regional cooperation, media sensitization, comprehensive police reforms, religious school regulation, strengthening the judiciary, and observance of human rights.The adoption of state security forces, proper land management, international resource acquisition, and meticulous implementation of approved plans were also suggested,” the communique further read.