PRESS RELEASE: GOVERNORS AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF THE JUDICIARY.

ETI-OSA BAR FORUM,

Christopher Segun Courthouse,

Addo Road, Ajah,

Lagos State.

15th April, 2021.

SECRETARIAT: 

Suite 16, 

Amabec Plaza, 

Beside Christopher Segun Courthouse, 

Addo Road, Ajah, 

Lagos State.

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

GOVERNORS AND FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF THE JUDICIARY: WE CALL FOR JOINT MASS ACTION OF NBA BRANCHES AND FORA WITH JUSUN BRANCHES IN LAGOS STATE TO TAKE FORWARD THE STRUGGLE.

We are seized of the outcome of the deliberations of the Nigerian Governors' Forum on the ongoing strike by Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

We are aware that the Nigerian Governors' Forum claimed that they did not require Executive Order No. 10 in order to fulfill their constitutional obligations in respect of financial autonomy of the Judiciary.

We are aware that President Muhammadu Buhari’s Executive Order issued for the enforcement of the said section 121(3) of the constitution, empowers the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct from the allocations due to states in the federation accounts, and pay the deducted funds to state legislatures and judiciaries whenever such states fail to release the allocations to the other arms of government.

We are also aware that State governors who are the main target of the ongoing JUSUN strike because of their failure to comply with the financial autonomy status of the judiciary, had rushed to court last year to challenge the legality of the Executive Order.

We hold that having admitted the necessity of financial autonomy of the Judiciary, the Governors should take the next appropriate steps for its implementation.

We are in complete solidarity with the resolution of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to sustain the strike action until the demand on financial autonomy for Judiciary is implemented by all the 36 State Governments.

We are also seized of the call by the Governor of Sokoto State and the NGF Vice Chairman, Aminu Tambuwal on Thursday, 15th April, 2021 after leading a delegation that included the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria, who is the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Y. Suleiman, to meet with the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, 15th day of April, 2021 that the Judiciary workers should call off their strike.

We are aware of the ongoing activities of a Technical Committee in respect of the matter. We call for speedy implementation thereto.

On the whole, we are of the view that joint mass actions of Branches of the Nigerian Bar Association and Branches of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) are needed to win the victory in the struggle for independence of the Judiciary and force the hands of the Governors to do the needful.

We salute the Nigerian Bar Association, Jos Branch and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, Plateau State Branch for the joint mass protest held today to the Plateau State Government House in Jos, Plateau State.

We hold that this is the way to go. We can for a Day of Joint Mass Action by Branches of Nigerian Bar Association and Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Lagos State with a procession to the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja to demand that the Governor of Lagos State do the needful in respect of financial autonomy of the Judiciary.

We welcome the proclamation of the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association to the effect that it would call a protest if the negotiations by JUSUN with the Governors produce no result. Having exhausted this window, we call on like-minded Bar leaderships like NBA Ikeja Branch leadership to call a Joint Bar Meeting of all NBA Branches in Lagos State as well as Bar Fora across the State in order to work out the said day of Joint Mass Action.

OLADOTUN HASSAN ESQ.,

Chairman.

AYO ADEMILUYI ESQ.,

Secretary.