Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has asked striking members of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to ensure that judicial budgets are not under the control of judges.
Falana made this call via a statement issued on Sunday, on behalf of the Alliance on Surviving Covid19 and Beyond (ASCAB).
According to him, this would build a transparency mechanism into the management of funds for the judiciary.
“It will allow judges to concentrate on the discharge of their core constitutional mandate of administering justice in an atmosphere of independence and impartiality in line with international best practices,” he said.
The group also expressed support for the ongoing nationwide strike.
It said the strike was meant to actualize the relevant provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) “which require that any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government or state government shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts concerned.”
Ripples Nigeria had reported that JUSUN embarked on a nationwide strike last week in order to press home their demands for full financial autonomy amongst other issues.
