Kogi executive-judiciary face-off most unfortunate — James Onoja SAN

James Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has
described the protracted face-off between the Kogi State government
and the Judiciary as most unfortunate.

Onoja said that it was irresponsible for an executive arm to
dictate to the Judiciary how to run its affairs.

He spoke at Ofante Ogugu in Olamaboro Local Government Area of
the state during his annual Unyi Ogugu football tournament for the
youths of his communities at Ofante.

The legal luminary stated that the constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria had spelt out functions of each of the arm of
government – Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary – to avoid
frictions saying that the ongoing strike embarked by the judiciary
over pay parade of the state government negates the principle of
separation of power.

He said it was undemocratic for the executive to dictate for the
Judiciary to subject its staff to pay parade before collecting
salaries which to him is a ploy to muzzle the Judiciary advising
the executive not to impinge on the rights of others.

“One cannot imagine a government planning a table payment for
judges and other staff of judiciary, and the Chief Judge said it is
not possible because judiciary supposed to be independent to be
able to discharge justice on behalf of the ordinary man.

“Regrettably, the Judiciary in Nigeria is not truly independent
because if it is truly independent a governor cannot dictate to a
Chief Judge of a state on how to run the judiciary arm of
government.

“So what we are seeing now is an attempt by the state government
to emasculate the judiciary to bring them to total subjugation in
this era of election where we need an independent judiciary to
mediate in political cases that would end in the judiciary,” he
bemoaned.