Get your degree in ten years or be sacked—Assembly tells Area courts judges in Nasarawa ***sets to pass 3 bills into law next week

By David Okpashi

CONCERNED by the Area courts judges operation without relevant qualification as jurists, Nasarawa state House of Assembly has provided 10 years window for the judges to obtain the prerequisites qualification or be sacked

This is even as the lawmaker are set to pass three bills into law next week.

The House gave the recommended at the plenary reviewing the proposed amendment of the bill to implement the principal law passed in 2022.

According to the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, the 10 years window period granted to judges of Area courts without degree in Law is to enable the affected judges obtain the qualification for effective Judicial service delivery in Nasarawa state.

The Speaker who stated this during deliberation on report of the House Standing Committee of Judiciary, Ethics and Previleges on a Bill For a Law to Amend the Nasarawa State Area Courts Law 2022 and For Other Matters Related Therewith noted that the state can not continue to progress in error in law in the 21st century.

“Going by the principal law, if it is to be implemented it will lay off some staff of the Judiciary, hence the need to amend the principal law.

According to Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, “the principal law provides that for one to be a judge of the Upper Area Court one must be a legal practitioner with at least 4 years post call.

He explained further that for one to be a judge of an Area Court, he must be a legal practitioner with at least 3 years post call.

“The Committee is of strong recommendation that a window period of 10 years be granted to the affected staff to enroll into a degree programme of Law in order to be called to bar for them to fit in”. the speaker declared.

Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 was slated for the third reading of the bill.

In the same vein, the House also slated Tuesday May 9th, 2023 for the third reading of a Bill For a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Information Technology Development Agency and Other Related Matter, as well as Wednesday, May 10th, 2023 for the third reading of a Bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency ( NASEWCCA) and Other Matters Connected Therewith.

In a related development, three bills scaled second reading at the floor of the House, the bills include: A Bill For a Law to Amend the Nasarawa State College of Nursing and Midwifery Law, 2021 and other Matters Connected Therewith scaled second reading.

Also, A Bill For a Law to Amend the Number of Judges of the Superior Courts of Record Law 2001 and for Related Matters scaled Second reading as well as A Bill For a Law to Repeal and Re-Enact the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Service Commission Law and Other Related Matters scaled second reading.

These bills were committed to the House Committee on Health, Judiciary and committee on environment to work on and report back to the House in a week time

During the plenary, 7 Man Ad-hoc Committee was constituted to work on the bill and report back to the House in 10 days by the Speaker.

. The 7 Ad-hoc committee members include, Umar Tanko Tunga- Chairman, Mohammed Ibrahim Muluku Agah, Mohammed Adamu Omadefu, Mohammed Ibrahim Alkali, Danladi Jatau, Dogara Aliyu, Abel Bala, the Minority Leader members while Ibrahim Musa, the Deputy Clerk of the House is to serve as Secretary of the Committee

The House also received the report of the Joint Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development/ Public Account on a Bill for a Law to Establish the Nasarawa State Social Investment Agency Charged With the Responsibility of Tackling Poverty, Ensuring Equitable Distribution of Resources and Economic Growth in the State and for Other Matters Connected Therewith.