the governor of Benue StateHyacinth Alia, has promised to implement financial autonomy for the judicial arm of the State.
Persistent demands for financial independence of judicial workers, especially at the state level in Nigeria, had paralyzed judicial business across the country.
However, Mr Alia, a Roman Catholic priest who took over as governor on May 29 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says: “…the state will get financial autonomy in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Benue State Judicial Fund Management (Financial Autonomy) Act, 2021.”
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kula Tersoo, in a statement on Saturday, said Alia made the promise at the celebration of the Benue State Judiciary Legal Year 2023/2024 in Makurdi, on Saturday.
Alia’s predecessor, the Samuel Ortom administration, in June 2021, clashed with the Benue State chapter of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), over the state’s controversial claim that the judiciary had a position of first line.
Alia on Saturday emphasized the imperative of financial independence of judicial officials to allow “judges to apply the law without fear or favor, but with respect for the fundamental human rights of citizens.”
He said a pro-investment environment in Benue could only be ensured if the courts are able to rule on commercial cases within a reasonable time, a problem plaguing Nigeria’s judiciary.
“Situations where lower court judges in Benue State travel by public transport, including commercial motorcycles… pose a huge risk and pose serious dangers to the lives of judges and their work,” Mr Alia said. .
Vowing to improve the welfare of judicial officers, the governor directed the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, to liaise with the Chief Justice, Maurice Ikpambese, on modalities to realize the target.
The governor urged judges “to strive to ensure rapid delivery of justice in this new legal year.”
Earlier, in their separate comments, Ikpambese and Mnyim stressed the role of the judiciary in “strengthening the electoral process in Nigeria”.
Senior members of the executive branch attended the event.
Background
On April 6, 2021, JUSUN embarked on a nationwide strike to press for the implementation of a constitutional provision that places the judiciary at the forefront of state budgets.
A series of meetings with federal and state government officials and an agreement signed with state governors, the union, led to the suspension of the strike.
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In its statement announcing the suspension of the 64-day strike that paralyzed courts across the country, JUSUN accused four states, including Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Bayelsa, of allegedly withholding or deducting salaries of judicial workers.