By Okiemute Esiri

The members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) commenced their strike on Tuesday morning April 6th 2021.

A stement from the Union said; they were on strike to press home their demand for the finaicial autonomy of the judiciary. According to JUSUN president, Mr Mr Marwan Adamu, “all courts and other departments would be shut until and unless the government does the needful”.

JUSUN demands are: Enforcement of Finaicial Autonomy in the Judiciary.

This is not the first time JUSUN is embarking on strike for the same purpose – Their last strike over the demand for finaicial autonomy for the judiciary lasted three weeks in January 2015.

The Intrigues

President Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, 2020 signed the Executive Order 10 for the enforcement of the financial autonomy status granted the state legislature and judiciary in the Nigerian Constitution.

The Executive Order made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.

It also mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state, for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

The Executive order, is yet to be implemented due to the states governors opposition to it.

The Governor’s Position

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state, spoke to newsmen after he led the chairman of States Legislators Conference, Abubakar Suleiman, to meet with the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on March 12 2021.

He said,  “We are here to meet the Chief of Staff on the instruction of Mr. President and you can see that the leadership of the Speakers Conference of the States of the Federation is here ably led by the Chairman. “It’s all about Order 10 which has to do with the independence, financial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary at the State level. “So it’s a continuous meeting and we are going to meet next week Thursday when we hope to finalize on the framework and modalities of implementing the autonomy of the state legislature and the judiciary

Since then, no communique was released by the governors and many are of the opinion that it is the bane of the present strike action by JUSUN.

TWASC will be conducting a fact finding discuss on JUSUN and Why the Governor’s are refusing the Judiciary autonomy. To be part of it, Please send in your comment and views below or through info@twasc.org