President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted two amendment bills to the House of Representatives seeking to increase the number of Federal High Court judges from 70 to 90 and the number of justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110, among other proposed reforms.
The bills were read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, during the resumption of plenary on Wednesday.
In two separate letters addressed to the Speaker, the President explained that Section 1(2) of the Federal High Court Act, Cap F-12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, originally provided for a maximum of 50 judges, which was increased to 70 in 2005.
Tinubu said the proposed amendments were aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of the judiciary, particularly the Court of Appeal.
He said, “It is noted that the court now bears a substantial and expanding responsibility for the prosecution of terrorism-related offences, transnational organised crimes and other matters touching directly on national security.
“The House is invited to note that a proposed increase of the Federal High Court judges from 70 to 90 will significantly improve the judge-to-ratio, enhance the speed and quality of adjudication.
“It will allow for greater judicial specialisation in technically demanding areas such as terrorism, financial crimes, taxation, intellectual property and maritime law.
“In view of the foregoing, I hereby present the Federal High Court Amendment Bill 2025 and trust that the House will consider the passage of the bill expeditiously.”
On the second bill, the President said it “seeks to increase the number of justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110 and judges, clarification of judicial structure and seniority.”
According to him, the bill seeks to restructure provisions relating to the ranking of justices of the Court of Appeal, including the ranking of the president of the court and the determination of seniority among justices.
He said the bills also propose the modernisation of court proceedings through the introduction of virtual hearings.
“The bill provides for the conduct of proceedings of the Court of Appeal through electronic and audio means and the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution Center (ADRC).
“The Court of Appeal bill seeks to establish an Alternative District Resolution Center within the Court of Appeal, where appellate matters may be referred for settlement.”
The President said the bill was designed to improve professional efficiency and legal certainty in appellate practice, adding that “this is in alignment with contemporary legal and institutional standards.”
Also transmitted to the House for consideration were 24 bills relating to the health sector.
All the bills were referred to the relevant committees of the House for further legislative action.
Similar letters were also read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday.
