NGF Sets Date To Implement Financial Autonomy For Judiciary As Senate Says Demand Not Negotiable

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has said it will ensure the implementation of financial autonomy for state legislative and judiciary institutions by May 2021.

Metrobusinessnews.com gathered that the chairman of the NGF, Dr Kayode Fayemi gave the assurance after a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the Statehouse.
The assurance is coming just as the Senate on Monday said the independence of the judiciary was not negotiable.

Chair Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele, said this when he appeared on the Channels Television programme, Politics Today on Monday.

Bamidele added that no democracy could survive without Rule of Law and independence of the Judiciary, advising the executive arm of government to be proactive and not to wait for strike action before taking action on what belongs to workers as matters of rights.

“For me as a Nigerian, it is laughable that we still need at this point, to be grappling with the need to grant judiciary independence at whatever level be it at the federal, state and local government level.
“Our laws are very clear on this,” he said.

However, according to Fayemi, the Governors forum has never been opposed to the issue of financial autonomy and that the governors, the speakers, and judges are on the same page.

He further disclosed that upon emerging from a meeting with the Solicitor-General of the Federation, the representatives of the judiciary, the representatives of the Conference of Speakers, and House of Representatives today, an agreement has been reached, thus reiterating that Nigerians can expect implementation of the agreement no later than May.
The NGF’s comments regarding the matter come few hours after members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) staged a peaceful march at the National Assembly in solidarity with judiciary workers who are protesting in favour of financial autonomy in the country.

The lawyers who had earlier converged at the Court of Appeal gate before proceeding to the Parliament’s complex in their numbers were stopped from entering the Assembly by security operatives.
Leadership of the NBA had earlier on Friday directed its branch chairmen nationwide to lead “visits” to government houses in their states over the 36 governors’ alleged unwillingness to implement judiciary’s financial autonomy.

A statement by the president of the association, Olumide Akpata, directed the branch chairmen to lead the “visits”, which are more like peaceful protests, on Monday, and on all other subsequent Mondays until the demand for the judiciary’s financial autonomy is met.

It urged the branch leaders “to effectively mobilise their members” for the “visit to the governors at the state government houses” to press home the demand.
JUSUN has since April 6, 2021, left the courts in Nigeria under locks and keys because of the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary as the third arm of government. They commenced a nationwide strike today, April 19, 2021.
President Muhammadu Buhari had signed an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the judiciary and State House of Assembly in May 2020, after several agitations.

However, the gazetting of the order was suspended after Buhari met with governors, who later expressed concern over its constitutionality.