Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has threatened to drag the Federal Government to court over the allocation of newly completed luxury houses to judges in Abuja’s Katampe district, arguing that the policy is discriminatory and violates the constitutional principle of equality.
Falana made the remarks in a video shared by NewsCentral on Thursday, where he criticised the government’s decision to provide exclusive housing benefits to judicial officers while many other public servants continue to struggle with poor welfare and inadequate accommodation.
The senior lawyer questioned the legal basis for the initiative, saying he was unaware of any law that authorises such preferential treatment.
According to him, Nigeria has reached a point where the special privileges enjoyed by political office holders and top government officials must be subjected to legal scrutiny.
“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,” he said.
Falana recalled watching the official handover ceremony on television and said he was disturbed by the development.
“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 from, because it’s discriminatory and illegal. You must treat us equally in our country,” he stated.
The Senior Advocate clarified that he was not opposed to judges being provided with decent accommodation, stressing that judicial officers deserve secure and comfortable living conditions to perform their constitutional duties effectively.
However, he argued that the same standard should apply to other categories of public servants who also contribute significantly to national development.
“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 said.
Falana maintained that while the judiciary should receive adequate welfare, government policies must not create the impression that one group of public servants is more deserving than another.
He warned that the allocation of luxury homes to judges without extending similar support to other workers could be challenged successfully in court.
“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 added.
The legal practitioner cited university lecturers as one example of public servants who have continued to face poor welfare despite their vital role in educating future generations.
According to him, many professors across Nigerian universities do not enjoy official accommodation and remain poorly paid, despite years of service.
Falana also criticised the benefits available to former governors who are now serving as members of the National Assembly, arguing that many continue to enjoy several official privileges after leaving office.
He contrasted their situation with that of career civil servants, many of whom retire after decades of service without access to decent housing or comparable welfare packages.
The senior lawyer insisted that government policies should reflect fairness, equity and equal treatment, warning that selective welfare programmes undermine public confidence in governance and violate constitutional principles.
He emphasised that the issue is not whether judges deserve quality housing but whether the government can lawfully provide such benefits to one category of public officers while neglecting others who are equally serving the nation.
