The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch, has condemned the Oyo State Government for non-payment of three years’ rent allowances and the 2026 leave/vacation allowances to judges.
The Oyo State Chief Judge, Iyabo Yerima, had sent a letter to Governor Seyi Makinde requesting the payment of the unpaid rent allowances for years 2024, 2025, and 2026.
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The letter, a copy of which was seen by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was with reference number OYSJ/ISY/RA/018 and dated 5 June 2026.
The letter is titled ‘Third reminder Re: Payment of Rent Allowances to Oyo State Judges for Year 2024, 2025, 2026 and Subsequent Months Provision,’ the
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According to the letter, the Chief Judge is entitled to monthly rent allowance of N665,143 while other judges are entitled to N601,580 each.
In another correspondence with reference number OYSJ/ISY/AJVA/017 and dated 13 July 2026, the chief judge request from the governor the payment of the 2026 judges’ vacation/leave allowance.
Speaking in an interview with NAN on the matter, Kola Kareem, chairman of the NBA Ibadan branch, said the Oyo State Government’s non-payment of rent and other allowances shows that the executive arm has no regard for the judiciary.
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“For the CJ to have written three letters asking for payment of rent allowances for judges, it shows that the government has no regard for both the bar and the bench,” the NBA Chairman said.
Mr Kareem said it was unfair for the Oyo State Government to treat the judiciary as an extension of the civil service, which dictates how much and when to pay its workers.
He said the government’s actions clearly show that the judiciary is not independent.
According to him, the judiciary cannot be independent as long as it continues to beg the executive arm of government for its entitlements.
The NBA described the unlawful withholding of the judiciary’s allocation which ought to have been paid, as unconstitutional.
”The problem the Oyo State Judiciary has is that it relies too heavily on the executive and this doesn’t make them an independent organ.
“The capital and recurrent expenditure should be paid directly to the account of the judiciary and not the reverse where the judiciary begs for their entitlements,” he said.
Kareem also took a swipe at the non provision of secured residential quarters for judges in many states.
He contended that judges living in their private residences expose them to hazards.
”At Independence, Nigeria inherited the culture of judges living in quarters where the populace didn’t have access to them.
”Those quarters have been sold by politicians, and I think the country should revert to that era of judges living in quarters,” he said.
The NBA chairman called on Mr Makinde to urgently pay the allowances so that judges in the state could perform their duties effectively and enjoy their annual vacation.
Efforts to reach the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, to get his reaction proved futile.
(NAN)
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