By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade on Tuesday approved the upward review of salaries and welfare of judicial officers in the state to make them meet up with current economic challenges.
Ayade announced the new salary package during the swearing-in ceremony of the new President of the Cross River State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Anjor Mbe, which took place at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office.
In the new salary regime, taking effect from August 1, 2022, salaries of the state’s high court judges will be increased by 100 per cent.
Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal will also have their salaries increased by 100 per cent while those of Magistrates will be increased by 50 percent.
In the same vein, the governor has also granted all judicial officers in the state immediate land allocation.
According to Governor Ayade, “as a matter of state government’s policy, any judicial officer sworn-in will have his or her official car ready for delivery.”
Announcing approval for new recruitment into the state’s judicial service, the governor said, “We have witnessed massive vacancy in the Ministry of Justice, occasioned by retirement. To this effect, we have approved for the Chief Judge, with the support of the Head of Service, HoS, and the Civil Service Commission, the employment of 500 workers in the Ministry of Justice for the first phase alone.”
Ayade disclosed that his administration has equally approved the setting aside of 25 per cent of the gross emoluments to support judicial officers’ allowances in terms of vacation, travels, among others.
While expressing optimism that he has addressed the immediate challenges of the state judiciary, Ayade pledged his administration’s readiness to support that arm of government from time to time as the need arises.
According to him, he acted in concert with the report of the State Judicial Welfare Review Committee, which he set up in April.
The Committee, which had retired Justice Eyo Effiong Ita as Chairman and the state’s HoS, Timothy Ogbang Akwaji, as Secretary, was charged with reviewing the salaries of Cross River State judicial officers.
The governor added, “For our judicial officers, we known the challenges of this country, for Cross River State in particular, we are quite sensitive to all the concerns raised so far. That is why we set up a committee to review the conditions of service of judicial officers to make for better service delivery.
“So, having studied the report of the committee and in order to enhance service delivery, the Cross River State government has hereby handsomely reviewed their salaries and welfare.”
The governor praised the state Chief Judge, Justice Akon Ikpeme, “for her diplomatic, studious and consistent push in achieving these goals.”
