By Tekena Amieyeofori
Femi Falana, SAN, has said he will take the Federal Government to court over the allocation of newly constructed luxury houses to judges in the Katampe district of Abuja. He described the move as discriminatory and a breach of the principle of equality before the law.
Falana made the remarks in a video posted by News Central on Thursday. He questioned the justification for giving judges exclusive housing perks while other public workers continue to grapple with poor welfare and a lack of decent accommodation.
He expressed dismay at the handover ceremony, saying he could not point to any existing law that supported the government’s decision.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The senior advocate stated that he was not against ensuring judges have proper accommodation, noting that judicial officers need to live in comfort and safety. However, he stressed that the same standard should apply to other government workers.
“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.
Falana warned that the government action would be challenged in court soon, and insisted that its policies must align with the constitutional guarantee of equality.
He said “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.”
The human rights lawyer cited university lecturers as an example, saying many professors are poorly remunerated and left without official housing, despite their contributions to national development.
He also condemned the housing and welfare packages enjoyed by former governors who are now serving as legislators. According to him, many of them still hold on to multiple official benefits while career civil servants retire with little or no support.