The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has set up a committee comprising members of the executive and judiciary arms of government to deliberate on the fiscal implications of the Industrial Court judgment reviewing the salaries of judges and justices in the country.
The governor said this during a meeting with the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Joe Acha, at the Government House in Benin City, the state capital.
According to him, “We have periodic reviews of activities in the state and that is why I am meeting with the Head of the Judiciary. One of the issues we have come to talk about is the implication of the recent Industrial Court judgment on the remuneration of judges.
“We had a conversation and have decided to set up a small committee composed of members of the Executive and Judiciary arms of government to review the implications of the judgment on our budget.”
On his part, Justice Acha said: “The judgment is something we all expected because judges are grossly underpaid. Just like His Excellency has said, Edo State is one family. So, we want to see how we can work together to move forward. I believe this is something that can be discussed at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) level.
“In Edo State, we are one family. Much as there are issues with staff salaries in other states, we believe that Edo State can be a model.”