The Senate on Monday asked governors across the 36 states of Nigeria to save the nation’s democracy from collapsing by granting full Independence to the judicial arm of government.
The Chairman, Senate Committee
on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, stated
this while reacting to the protest staged at the National Assembly by the
Nigerian Bar Association on the issue.
The President, Major General
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had last year, signed into law, the Executive Order
No 10 of 2020 cited as “the implementation of financial autonomy for state
legislature and judiciary Order, 2020”.
The Order granted powers to the
Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct from the allocations due to a
state from the Federation Account, any sums appropriated for the legislature or
judiciary of that state which the state fails to release to its legislature or
judiciary as the case may be, and to pay the funds directly to the state’s
legislature or judiciary concerned.
Speaking with journalists,
Bamidele said judicial autonomy was non-negotiable and that state governors
should emulate the Federal Government by granting independence to the arm of
government.
He said, “It is laughable that
at this point, we are still grappling with the need to grant independence to
the judiciary arm of government at the state level and at the local government
levels.
“The National Assembly has been
making laws that would guarantee full autonomy to the judiciary at the Federal
level.
“The National Assembly does not
make laws for the states, such power resides in the state Houses of Assembly.
“Judiciary at the Federal
Capital Territory is independent because we have done what we (National
Assembly) are supposed to do.
“What is next is for the state
Houses of Assembly to do what they are supposed to do.
“As a principle, and as a
policy, members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal
Matters, have tried not to call on those who are protesting to stop such
protests.
“We do not want protests but
definitely, we would rather talk more to state governors houses of Assembly and
other stakeholders to do the needful in the overriding public interest.
“We cannot continue to call on
the judiciary to give peace a chance when we know the conditions under which
they work cannot guarantee a passionate and enhanced delivery of justice.
“We are talking about judicial
reforms, we are talking about the need for justice sector reforms.
“This is central and crucial to
the independence of the judiciary in this country. We must not be left behind
by the rest of the civilized world.
“Nobody stands to lose anything
by granting independence to judiciary at the state level since it has been done
at the national level.
“The fact that workers and staff
of federal judiciary are joining the protest is only in solidarity with their
colleagues at the state levels.
“It is a union matter and we do
not have control over it. We are hereby calling on the state governors to do
the needful because the independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable.
“No democracy can survive
without being founded on the rule of law and independent judiciary.”
Source: Punchng.com
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