Financial autonomy for judiciary: Progress report discouraging – JUSUN

The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) on Friday said it had yet to see states’ full compliance with the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

JUSUN’s National Secretary, Mr Isaiah Adetola, told our reporter in Lagos that since the union suspended its strike in June, there had not been a remarkable implementation of the financial autonomy.

It was reported that the union had, on April 6, embarked on strike to press home its demand for implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Following dialogues and interventions from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the union suspended the 64-day strike on June 9, with an understanding that state governments would begin the implementation.

However, Adetola told our reporter that many states had not complied.

“The progress report is not encouraging; some governors signed the Funds Management Law and many states are yet to do anything at all.

“Some state assemblies passed it to their governors for assent, while many have not; so, the news is not encouraging.

“Even those that have signed the bill into law, have not begun implementation.

“Industrial relation matters are not to be delayed,” he said.

According to him, the JUSUN National Executive Committee will meet and decide on the next line of action.

It was reported that President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 22, 2020, signed an executive order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.

The Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for each state to include allocations to its legislature and judiciary in its first-line charge of budget.

The order also mandated the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source, amounts due to state legislatures and judiciaries from monthly allocation to each state – for states that refuse to grant the autonomy.

It was in a bid to push for implementation of judicial financial autonomy as provided by the order that the union embarked on strike on April 6.