Judicial autonomy will end official graft, corruption – NLC
* wants improved take home pay for Judges, others
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba on Wednesday said the challenges facing justice system in Nigeria is finance , calling for a speedy granting of financial and administrative autonomy to address the situation.
Wabba also said proper remuneration for judicial and non officers in the country would end official graft and public corruption in Nigeria’s justice delivery system and the wider society.
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The NLC president who was speaking at the 4th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, further call for an immediate improvement in the take home package for all judiciary officers including Judges, Registrars, State Counsels cum Prosecutors, Court Clerks, Bailiffs and other officers of the law.
‘The most serious issue bedeviling smooth administration of justice in Nigeria is Finance. Even though, we have had Constitutional review in the recent past that had granted financial autonomy to our Judiciary. Yet, the devil still lies in ambush in the finer lines of implementation especially in respect to courts in the sphere of many of our subnational governments.
“First, the sum budgeted for our Judiciary is hardly enough to cater to the needs in our Justice sector. The release of funds for different critical projects in the justice sector is still spasmodic.
“The result is that critical projects such as overhauling of our court rooms with modern devices and equipment that can facilitate faster delivery of justice is frustrated.
“Many Nigerians have had reasons to complain in recent times of the penchant for some of our judges to give “politically correct” judgements. While enabling the establishment, such judgements most of the time hurt the poor, needy and voiceless.
“At the root of this anomaly is the stiff struggle for the independence of the Judiciary – both financially and administratively. There is need for the reform of Nigeria’s Judiciary to ensure financial and administrative autonomy.
Still on the independence of our Judiciary, I must say that our history of military dictatorships, the bequeathing of a culture of rights abuse even in this democratic dispensation and the persistence of rights abuse under successive civilian governments in Nigeria automatically confers a social activist mandate on our judiciary.
“I use this occasion of this Conference to urge our judiciary to not only deliver judgements but to serve the course of justice.
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‘Another major challenge in our judiciary is the issue of welfare for judiciary officers. Given the pole position of the justice sector in organizing society and entrenching public law and order, it is important that officers of the law are well taken care.
“I call for an immediate improvement in the take home package for all judiciary officers including Judges, Registrars, State Counsels cum Prosecutors, Court Clerks, Bailiffs and other officers of the law. Proper remuneration for our judicial officers is a very fundamental way of addressing official graft and public corruption in Nigeria’s justice delivery system and the wider society”.
Speaking earlier , National President of JUSUN, Comrade Marwan Mustapha said government must do all it can to grant financial and administrative autonomy of Judiciary.
According to him “Over 70% of cases, especially those affecting indigent Nigerians are handled by the magistrate courts. Sadly, they are in dilapidating states and the workers servicing the courts are being demoralized and demobilized.
“The politicization of appointments in the judiciary must stop and a measured and deliberate culture of merit fostered and utilized. Our court hands and assistants need skills and capacity development and upgrade. Salaries and allowances must be paid as and when due compared to the current situation where payments of earned wages have become issues for performance measurement by governments”.
