Nobody Stands to Lose Anything By Granting Judiciary Independence at The State Level-Bamidele on JUSUN Nation Wide Strike

It was earlier reported that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) had embarked on a Nationwide strike from April 6 over the non-implementation of judicial financial autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution.

The Chair Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Opeyemi Bamidele, in an interview with journalists in Abuja reacted to the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

Bamidele in his statement, was in support of the Independence of the Judiciary at Federal level and the Judicial Financial autonomy.

He said it was laughable that at this point, we still need to be grappling with the need to grant judiciary independence at whatever level be it at the federal, state and local government level.

Premium Times recalls that, 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, but the gazetting of the order was suspended after Mr Buhari met with governors, who later expressed concern over its constitutionality.

He also noted that the “Independence of the Judiciary is non-negotiable” stating that, “nobody stands to lose anything by granting judiciary independence at the state level, that it has been done at the national level.”

In quote, Bamidele spoke saying, “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.

“For the National Assembly, we have done the needful by making necessary laws that can guarantee independence of the judiciary at the federal level. So for us, it is not an issue because we have done the needful.

“What is left is for our state houses of assembly to also do what they are supposed to do.”

The Chair said, 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 protest, and that the state governors, state houses of assembly and the stakeholders that are supposed to do the needful to please do the needful in overriding public interest.

“We must not be left behind by the rest of the civilised world”, he said.