The Supreme Court has proposed the shifting of the retirement age of Justices from 70 to 75 as the Senate will consider the proposal in March 2021, while the other provisions of Constitution amendment will be debated in June.
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, made this known at the Senate Constitution Review Committee Retreat organised to Review and Analyse Submitted Memoranda.
Imo-Agege added that there is another proposal on the retirement age for judges of the states, including the FCT and the Federal High Courts to bring it to parity with the 70 years retirement age.
The Deputy Senate President said the ad-hoc Committee on Review of 1999 has received over 250 memorandum, which will be converted to a bill and considered on the floor of the Senate by June 2021.
Omo-Agege said: “To put you under further pressure, we have also decided to extricate one or two issues dealing with the judiciary, most importantly the one dealing with the retirement age for judges of the states, including the FCT and the Federal High Courts, to bring in parity with the 70 years retirement age of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
“There is also the issue of the clamour by the Supreme Court to also move from 70 to 75 years.
“I am sure you are all aware that it is up to our colleagues in both chambers and of course the State Houses of Assembly to decide whether or not we should move ahead with both.
“But I want to put you under pressure that these two bills must be ready for consideration by March.
“Both houses – the Senate and the House of Representatives – would be prepared to take those two isolated issues, while every other matter under consideration will come up on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives in June this year.”