Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has threatened to sue the Federal Government over the allocation of newly built luxury homes to judges in Abuja's Katampe district, describing the initiative as discriminatory and unlawful. He argued that while judges deserve decent accommodation, extending such benefits exclusively to one category of public officers violates the principle of equality.
Speaking in a video shared by NewsCentral on Thursday, Falana said he was unsettled after watching the official handover of the houses on television. He questioned the legal basis for the exercise, insisting that the government could not justify granting exclusive privileges to a select group of public officials.
"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. 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, because it’s discriminatory and illegal. You must treat us equally in our country," he said.
Falana clarified that he was not opposed to judges receiving official accommodation, stressing that members of the judiciary should be provided with secure and comfortable housing. However, he argued that similar consideration should be extended to other public servants who also contribute significantly to national development.
"You can’t take out judges. 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 stated.
The senior advocate warned that the policy would soon face judicial scrutiny if the government failed to ensure equal treatment for all public servants. "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," he said.
Drawing comparisons with the education sector, Falana lamented the poor welfare of university lecturers, noting that many professors are poorly paid and no longer have access to adequate staff housing despite the essential services they render. "If you have a professor who also has to render services to society, and those professors are not paid well, nobody talks of providing houses for them now. They were living in rented quarters. These days, there are not enough quarters for them, so we must also look at that," he added.
He also criticised the benefits enjoyed by former governors who are now serving as lawmakers, alleging that many continue to receive legislative salaries and allowances while retaining housing entitlements from their time as governors, unlike career civil servants who retire without similar support.
"Governors who are in the National Assembly, about 21 of them, are taking salaries from the National Assembly and jumbo allowances, and they are also entitled to a house in the state where they govern for four or eight years and another house in Abuja. And you have a civil servant who has worked for 35 years, and he’s just turned out at the end of the day," Falana said.
Reiterating his position, the human rights lawyer insisted that equal treatment under the law must remain a guiding principle of governance. "So, we must insist that equality before the law in our country is respected," he said.
The housing project forms part of the Federal Capital Territory Administration's initiative under Minister Nyesom Wike to build 40 residential units for judges in Katampe. Some of the completed houses have already been commissioned by President Bola Tinubu for judges of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. Wike has said the homes would be allocated on an owner-occupier basis, subject to presidential approval.
The initiative has continued to generate public debate, with some critics arguing that the gesture could be perceived as an attempt to unduly influence the judiciary.