Ondo stakeholders seek 65-year retirement age, better welfare for magistrates

By Boye Oyeyemi

Stakeholders in Ondo State have called for improved welfare, better remuneration and an increase in the retirement age of magistrates to 65 years to strengthen the administration of justice.

The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the Ondo State House of Assembly on a bill seeking to review the retirement age of magistrates and presidents of Grade ‘A’ Customary Courts in the state.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges, Stephen Abitogun, said the proposed legislation was aimed at retaining experienced judicial officers, improving the efficiency of lower courts and aligning their conditions of service with prevailing standards.

Abitogun urged stakeholders to make meaningful contributions to the bill, noting that magistrates and presidents of Grade ‘A’ Customary Courts play vital roles in providing access to justice, resolving disputes and protecting the rights of citizens.

Presenting the memorandum of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, its chairperson, Oluwafunmi Abosede Edwin, advocated raising the retirement age of magistrates to 65 years, alongside improved salaries, allowances and retirement benefits.

Edwin said better welfare would boost the morale and productivity of judicial officers, while the Chairman of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, Ale Abayomi, called for the implementation of the 1998 Policy Harmonisation Agreement, warning that its continued neglect could undermine the welfare of law officers and effective justice delivery.

However, the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Ayedun Odusola, represented by Justice Femi Akinbinu, cautioned against extending benefits specifically designed for judicial officers to other categories of workers in the judiciary, warning that disparities in conditions of service could trigger industrial unrest. Nevertheless, Nigeria Bar Association, Akure Branch, led by its chairman, Kekemeke Oju, backed the calls for improved welfare.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the committee, Afe Felix, and another member, Allen Oluwatoyin, assured the stakeholders that their submissions would receive due consideration, while the Clerk of the house, Benjamin Jaiyeola, said the bill was intended to prevent the premature loss of experienced judicial officers and strengthen justice delivery in the state.