Ilorin NBA To Governors –Obey Rule Of Law

Lawyers in Kwara State, under the auspices of the Nigerian Bar
Association, on Wednesday staged a peaceful demonstration in
Ilorin, to support the call for financial autonomy for the
judiciary in the state.

The peaceful demonstration came barely two weeks after the
Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria embarked on an indefinite strike
over the lack of financial autonomy for the judiciary at the state
level.

The lawyers who carried placards with various inscriptions
marched to the Government House along Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin with
the aim of submitting a letter to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
on the full implementation of financial autonomy for the
judiciary.

The inscriptions on some of the placards read, ‘Judiciary is the
last hope of the common man. Respect it!’; ‘Court judgement on
financial autonomy must be complied with’; ‘The independence of the
judiciary is sacrosanct’; ‘Respect for the judiciary is respect for
the rule of law’; ‘O to ge Governors, obey and respect the law’;
‘Stop pocketing the judiciary’ and ‘Our constitution is meant to be
obeyed.’

The Chairman, Ilorin branch of the NBA, Abdulganiyu Bello, who
led members on the peaceful protest told The Punch that they were
not allowed to see the governor.

He said, “We were at the Government House today but we could not
drop the letter which we want to deliver to the governor and there
was no one assigned to receive the letter on his behalf.”

Bello, however, decried the attitude of the governors to the
financial autonomy of the judiciary in their respective states.

He challenged the governors to respect the rule of law and give
effect to the independence of the judiciary arm of the
government.

Bello, who noted that the 2014 court verdict had settled the
controversy over the financial autonomy of the judiciary, explained
that democracy would thrive with strict adherence to the rule of
law.

He maintained that the industrial action of JUSUN had stalled
court proceedings nationwide with its attendant effects on members
of the bench and the bar.

“We are here in compliance with the directive of the National
Secretariat as given by the National President, Mr Olumide Akpata,
on the need for the government to give effect to the financial
autonomy for our judiciary. That is why we are here to call on the
governor to obey the rule of law.

“It is stated in our constitution, if you look at Section 121;
it says that all funding shall be handed over to the heads of the
judiciary in various states. So, we want to call on the governors
to obey the rule of law. If the rule of law is obeyed, democracy
will strive well. That is why we are here to register our support
to JUSUN.

“The strike embarked upon by JUSUN has affected court
proceedings, and you can see a lot of things happening to people.
If you want to assert your right, you go to court. As it is now,
courts are closed. We want to call on the governments to act on
this so that we will all have a free society as required”, he
added.

Lawyers in Kwara State, under the auspices of the Nigerian Bar
Association, on Wednesday staged a peaceful demonstration in
Ilorin, to support the call for financial autonomy for the
judiciary in the state.

The peaceful demonstration came barely two weeks after the
Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria embarked on an indefinite strike
over the lack of financial autonomy for the judiciary at the state
level.

The lawyers who carried placards with various inscriptions
marched to the Government House along Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin with
the aim of submitting a letter to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
on the full implementation of financial autonomy for the
judiciary.

The inscriptions on some of the placards read, ‘Judiciary is the
last hope of the common man. Respect it!’; ‘Court judgement on
financial autonomy must be complied with’; ‘The independence of the
judiciary is sacrosanct’; ‘Respect for the judiciary is respect for
the rule of law’; ‘O to ge Governors, obey and respect the law’;
‘Stop pocketing the judiciary’ and ‘Our constitution is meant to be
obeyed.’

The Chairman, Ilorin branch of the NBA, Abdulganiyu Bello, who
led members on the peaceful protest told The Punch that they were
not allowed to see the governor.

He said, “We were at the Government House today but we could not
drop the letter which we want to deliver to the governor and there
was no one assigned to receive the letter on his behalf.”

Bello, however, decried the attitude of the governors to the
financial autonomy of the judiciary in their respective states.

He challenged the governors to respect the rule of law and give
effect to the independence of the judiciary arm of the
government.

Bello, who noted that the 2014 court verdict had settled the
controversy over the financial autonomy of the judiciary, explained
that democracy would thrive with strict adherence to the rule of
law.

He maintained that the industrial action of JUSUN had stalled
court proceedings nationwide with its attendant effects on members
of the bench and the bar.

“We are here in compliance with the directive of the National
Secretariat as given by the National President, Mr Olumide Akpata,
on the need for the government to give effect to the financial
autonomy for our judiciary. That is why we are here to call on the
governor to obey the rule of law.

“It is stated in our constitution, if you look at Section 121;
it says that all funding shall be handed over to the heads of the
judiciary in various states. So, we want to call on the governors
to obey the rule of law. If the rule of law is obeyed, democracy
will strive well. That is why we are here to register our support
to JUSUN.

“The strike embarked upon by JUSUN has affected court
proceedings, and you can see a lot of things happening to people.
If you want to assert your right, you go to court. As it is now,
courts are closed. We want to call on the governments to act on
this so that we will all have a free society as required”, he
added.