Reps Move to Increase Federal High Court Judges from 100 to 150

A Bill to amend the Federal High Court Act, Cap. F12, Laws of the Federation, 2004 with a view to providing for the increase in the number of Judges from 100 to 150, scaled through Second Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday.

The proposed bill transmitted by the Senate to the House for concurrence also seeks to make provisions for the regulation of the award of prejudgment in relation to claims bothering on commercial transactions in Nigeria and for related matters.

The Bill was voted on, read the Second time, passed and referred to the Committee of the Whole.

Also at plenary, the House passed through Second Reading a bill which seeks to repeal the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act, No. 14 of 2015 and enact the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Act, 2023 for the purpose of providing additional functions for the Organisation, creating new offences and increasing penalties for offences relating to standardisation; and for related matters.

The bill seeks to reduce the “duration for which the Organisation can seize and detain hazardous goods without an order of Court from 90 days to 45 days.

The proposed amendments will checkmate the threats posed to the national economy by the importation and manufacturing of substandard products that lead to avoidable deaths and monumental economic losses in the country.

“The power granted to the Organisation under the old Act to destroy hazardous goods without an order of Court has been expunged. The duration for pre-action notice to be served on the Organisation before any action is instituted against it has been reduced from 3 months to 1 month.”

The proposed bill also seeks “a 50% increment across the board for all fines under the old act to align with current economic realities. The fines under the bill are set in the minimum to allow for flexibility.”

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Industry for further legislative action.