Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has vowed to challenge the Federal Government in court over the allocation of newly built luxury homes to judges in Abuja’s Katampe district, describing the move as discriminatory and unlawful
Falana criticised the government for providing exclusive housing benefits to judges while neglecting other categories of public servants.
He said he was saddened after watching the handover ceremony on television and questioned the legal basis for the initiative.
“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.
“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 said.
Falana clarified that he was not against judges being provided with accommodation but argued that other public servants also deserve similar treatment.
“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 matter would soon be taken to court, insisting that the government cannot lawfully grant such benefits to one group of public officials while excluding others.
“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.
Falana cited university lecturers as an example, noting that many professors are poorly paid and no longer have access to staff housing despite the vital role they play in society.
“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.
He also criticised the housing and financial benefits enjoyed by former governors now serving as lawmakers, saying many receive legislative salaries and allowances while retaining housing entitlements in both their states and Abuja, unlike career civil servants who retire with little or nothing.
“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.
He maintained that the principle of equality before the law must be upheld for all Nigerians.
“So, we must insist that equality before the law in our country is respected,” he said.
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