The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ado Ekiti Branch, says lack of financial autonomy for judiciary in the state is dangerous for dispensation of justice.
The union said it was unfortunate things have not changed despite strikes embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The branch Chairman, Adeyemi Adewumi, expressed the dissatisfaction in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, at the commencement of the Law Week 2022 with the theme, “Judicial independence, a recipe for true democracy in Nigeria.”’
He said it was wrong for the executive to be the appointing authority for the judges and magistrates.
Adewumi noted that the practice had continued to erode the independence of the judiciary because “he who pays the piper dictates the tune.”
He said, “We had seen a situation here in Ekiti State where NJC recommended judges for appointments and the executive stopped it and it took the coming of another government and NBA’s intervention to get it done.
“Judiciary will never be functional and independent as long as the executive ratifies their appointments and release funds for their operations.”
Adewumi said the essence of the theme was to chart the way forward on ways and means to ensure true judicial independence.