ABUJA – some lawyers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday urged state governments to obey court order that affirmed financial autonomy of the judicial arm of government.
A cross-section of lawyers who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said complying with the court order would end the strike.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), directed its members to proceed on strike from Monday, Jan.5, to compel state governments to obey court order.
NAN reports that Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on Jan. 13, 2014 in his ruling, affirmed the financial autonomy of the judiciary.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
An Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr Pius Ofulue, said that the strike would compel state governments to obey the order of court, and allow direct allocation of funds to state judiciaries.
“The strike by judiciary workers is a welcome development; it will enhance the strict compliance with the rule of law in order to protect and sustain the country’s nascent democracy.
“Once a court of law pronounces a judgment between persons and the authority, such judgment needs to be enforced at all cost by virtue of Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution.
“Therefore, a government that wants its citizens to be law abiding must also obey the law by enforcing all judgments of the court as it is done in all civilised countries of the world,’’ Ofulue said.
Ofulue said that government should have appealed against the judgment if it was not satisfied, adding that disobedience was capable of undermining the rule of law in the country.
Mr Sunday Orji, also a legal practitioner stressed the need for government to be sincere in its dealings with the public.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“I can sense some political scheming in the present strike; normally the judiciary is supposed to be independence, being the third arm of the government.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″]
“Government should allow the rule of law to thrive; it should obey the court order; it is the custodian of law, so why is it violating the law,’’ Orji queried.
Another legal practitioner, Mr Femi Henry, said that government must obey the court order, adding that “if democracy must thrive in the country the rule of law must work at all levels of government.’’
(NAN)
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