The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has said that President Bola Tinubu will continue his support for the judiciary, but will also allow it to enjoy independence.

The Minister disclosed this at the Special Court session marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 Legal Year of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Wike noted that apart from the ongoing housing initiative for the judiciary by Tinubu’s administration, there was also a budgetary provision to construct additional residential houses for FCT High Court Judges to mitigate housing shortages.

He said that “under the President’s decisive action, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has formally handed over the Certificate of Occupancy for the Supreme Court’s land and commenced the full perimeter fencing of the entire complex to safeguard the nation’s apex court against encroachment and security breaches.

“ This swift, long-awaited intervention gives the Apex Court of our beloved country the much-needed confidence-building which had not been done in past administrations. This confidence-building action trickles down to each arm of the judiciary.”

He also added that, “We will aggressively push for the timely completion of the new residential quarters for Heads of Courts and the Jabi Magistrate Court Complex to ensure prompt utilisation.

“Furthermore, we have made budgetary provisions to construct additional residential houses for FCT High Court Judges to mitigate housing shortages and ensure all judicial officers are appropriately accommodated.

“We will continue to collaborate with the various FCT-based judiciaries (including the Court of Appeal) to support the digitisation of court proceedings and registries to improve efficiency, reduce manual processes, and accelerate the dispensation of justice.

“Let me state that Justice must never be compromised under any circumstances, for it is the bedrock of our democracy and the safeguard of public trust.

“It is the responsibility of all stakeholders, judges, legal practitioners, government agencies, and citizens alike to work collaboratively to strengthen and improve our judicial system.

“I am confident that the commencement of this 2025/2026 Legal Year will herald a period of unprecedented success, wisdom, and efficiency for the Court of Appeal.”