The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has defended the construction of houses for judges, insisting that the initiative was aimed at strengthening the judiciary rather than compromising it.
Wike stated this on Tuesday while receiving a delegation of the Body of Benchers led by its Chairman, Albert Akpomudje, in Abuja.
The minister was reacting to recent comments credited to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, who reportedly alleged that the housing project for judges was intended to influence the judiciary.
Responding, Wike said the Federal Capital Territory Administration would continue to provide infrastructure for government institutions in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
He maintained that criticism of government actions should be constructive and not aimed at undermining public institutions.
“Our people should stop criticising for the sake of criticism. What we expect is constructive criticism that can help improve governance, not attacks that suggest nothing good is being done,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor faulted claims that building houses for judges amounted to compromising the judiciary, stressing that the project was meant to provide a conducive environment for judicial officers.
“You cannot publicly denigrate your own judges and justices. Government is only creating an enabling environment for them to function effectively. That should strengthen their independence, not weaken it,” he stated.
Wike also questioned what he described as double standards by the NBA leadership, noting that state governments had over the years supported the association financially without similar allegations of compromise.
He argued that it was contradictory for the NBA to criticise judicial infrastructure projects while benefiting from government support for its programmes and activities.
The minister urged the NBA president to use his tenure to improve the legal profession and strengthen the judiciary rather than engage in what he described as unproductive criticism.
He further lamented that the judiciary often became the target of public attacks whenever government intervened in addressing its infrastructural challenges.
During the meeting, Wike assured the Body of Benchers of continued support from the FCT Administration and directed the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Richard Dauda, to facilitate the construction of an access road to the body’s annex building in Abuja.
Earlier, Akpomudje commended the minister for ongoing infrastructural projects in the FCT and appreciated the intervention of the administration in the judiciary sector, particularly the near-completion of the Body of Benchers annex complex.
