Judiciary Financial Autonomy: FG, States Agree To Implement Court Ruling

high courtThe Federal Government and states have finally agreed to start funding the nation’s judiciary as spelt out in the constitution.

This follows a series of agitations by the leadership of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, which culminated in an agreement reached with the union last Thursday.

It would be recalled that JUSUN got a court order from the Federal High Court Abuja on January 13, 2014 regarding respect for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on financial autonomy of the judiciary.

The judiciary workers had on July 11 embarked on a three-week strike, which was suspended after various concerned government officials and other stakeholders in the judiciary promised to ensure the implementation of the court judgment.

Though the government reneged on its part of the agreement, it finally agreed to implement the judgment after the union threatened to embark on another strike.

With the agreement now reached, from December, funds meant for the federal and respective state judiciaries in the budgets would be deducted by the Accountant General of the Federation and remitted to the National Judicial Council.

The NJC will then disburse the funds to the various heads of courts.

This development was confirmed in a statement by the NJC, through its Acting Director (Information), Mr. Soji Oye.

The statement read in part, “The Judiciary Staff Association of Nigeria has called off its strike proposed to commece from Monday, December 1, 2015.

“The agreement to shelve the strike was reached on November 27, 2014 at the end of the meeting chaired by the Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), the leadership of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria and other relevant Stakeholders.

“The bone of contention had been the implementation of the subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on January 13, 2014 regarding Sections 81 (3), 121 (3) and 162 (9) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“The stakeholders on November 27 reconciled the figures submitted by JUSUN with the budgeted estimates by the States Accountants-General and concluded that the Accountant-General of the Federation will make deductions during the next Federal Accounts Allocation Committee meeting to the National Judicial Council in line with the Court Judgment on actual funds released that can be defended by the respective States and duly concurred by JUSUN.

“A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Stakeholders to the effect”.