In a recent video on Channels Television, renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer Femi Falana has voiced strong objections to the recent initiative by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to gift houses to judges.
Falana argued that such gestures create a conflict of interest, particularly as the FCT Minister operates in a role similar to a state governor, whose responsibilities and budget are confined to the Federal Capital Territory. Citing Section 299 of the Nigerian Constitution, Falana emphasized that the minister’s budget should exclusively serve the FCT’s affairs and cannot be used for judicial gifts on a federal scale.
According to him, “Now, look at the contradictions. It’s like the governor of Kaduna, Osun, or Cross River coming to give federal judges houses in Abuja. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory operates like a state governor by virtue of Section 299 of the Constitution. So, he cannot say, “I’m going to build 40 houses; 10 shall go to the Federal High Court, 10 shall go to judges in the FCT High Court, and 10 shall go to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.”
“No. No, because you are a minister of the federal government, like a state governor. So your budget is limited to the affairs of the FCT (Federal Capital Territory). You cannot, as the head of the FCT, be dishing out gifts, cars, and houses to judges in the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court.”