Governor Lawal Distributes Official Vehicles To Judicial Officers, Clears Over ₦600m Allowance Backlog

The Executive Governor of Zamfara State His Excellency, Dr Dauda Lawal has distributed official vehicles to judicial officers in the state, describing the procurement as a reflection of his administration’s commitment to fair and responsible governance aimed at ensuring the independence of dedicated judicial officers and the proper administration of justice.

The governor made the vehicles available earlier today and used the occasion to provide a comprehensive update on major investments in judicial infrastructure, revealing that the Zamfara State Government has funded the remodeling, construction and rehabilitation of various courts, including four Small Claims Courts, the Magistrate Court Samaru, the State High Court, ten Sharia Courts across Local Government Areas, Unguwar Gwaza Higher Sharia Court, Higher Sharia Court Damba, and Federal High Courts 5 and 7, among others, with about ninety percent of these projects now completed.

In addition to infrastructure development, Governor Lawal disclosed that his administration has cleared the backlog of statutory allowances owed to judicial officers for 2022 and 2023, expending over six hundred million naira on payments covering allowances for accommodation, wardrobe, outfit, medical needs and furniture, a move that has been widely welcomed by legal practitioners in the state as a necessary step toward restoring dignity to the bench and boosting the morale of judges and magistrates.

While handing over the vehicles, the governor urged judicial officers to see these vehicles as tools of public service rather than perks of office, charging them to uphold the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism in the discharge of their duties, emphasizing that the material support provided by his administration must translate into improved service delivery and timely dispensation of justice.

Representatives of the judicial officers expressed gratitude for the interventions, particularly the clearance of outstanding allowances and the provision of operational mobility and pledged to reciprocate through diligence, fairness and adherence to the rule of law, while legal observers in Zamfara have described the developments as a significant step forward for judicial independence, noting that adequate funding, infrastructure and mobility are critical to reducing case backlogs and ensuring access to justice for all citizens.