Baba‑Ahmed Calls Tinubu‑Built Judge Houses a Bribe
Hakeem Baba‑Ahmed, the national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), has criticised the recent construction of houses for Appeal Court judges by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, labelling the gesture a bribe.
Speaking on Trust TV on Wednesday, Baba‑Ahmed said:
“If this government genuinely built an estate for judges, literally, it’s a bribe. That’s the fact.”
He argued that the government should instead raise judges’ salaries and allowances so they could afford their own homes. Building houses exclusively for judges while neglecting other civil servants, he said, is absurd.
“If I were to advise the judges, I would tell them straight up not to accept the house gifts,” Baba‑Ahmed added.
FCT Minister’s Aide Defends the Initiative
In contrast, Nyesom Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, rejected the bribery claim. He maintained that providing accommodation for judges and other government officials is lawful and does not compromise judicial independence.
Olayinka pointed out that even in systems with clear separation of powers, some interaction between branches is inevitable. He questioned whether allocating land for judges’ houses would be any less influential than the current arrangement.
He also noted that the budget for the project must be approved by the National Assembly, whose members themselves appear before the same judges. By that logic, he argued, many routine government actions could be seen as attempts to influence the judiciary.
Olayinka concluded by urging critics like human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) to focus on improving judges’ welfare and security rather than opposing executive actions that are constitutionally permissible.
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