The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Monday, canvassed for financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The CJN said a situation where the third arm of government went cap in hand begging for funds for the administration of justice in the country did augur well for the independence of the judiciary.
Justice Muhammad, who spoke during the swearing-in ceremony of 38 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANS) at the Supreme Court, Abuja, yesterday, lamented that the gross underfunding and neglect of the judiciary over the years had impacted negatively on the infrastructure and personnel within the system.
He appealed to the relevant authorities to free the judiciary from financial bondage.
Muhammad, who harped on the independence of the judiciary, said financial autonomy was tied to its capability to dispense justice.
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“Be that as it may, when we assess the judiciary from the financial perspective, how free can we say we are? The annual budget of the judiciary is still a far cry from what it ought to be. The figure is either stagnated for a long period or it goes on a progressive decline. The only thing I can do at this juncture is to plead with all concerned to let us enjoy our independence, historically. If you say that I am independent, but in a way, whether I like it or not, I have to go cap in hand, asking for funds to run my office, then I have completely lost my independence. It is like saying a cow is free to graze in the meadow but at the same time, tying it firmly to a tree. Where is the freedom?” he asked.
However, he said the Nigerian judiciary, to a large extent, was independent in conducting its affairs and taking of decisions on matters before it without any extraneous influence.
“At the Supreme Court, as I have always said, we are totally independent in the way we conduct our affairs, especially in our judgments. We don’t pander to anybody’s whims and caprices. If there is any deity to be feared, it is the Almighty God. We will never be subservient to anybody, no matter his position in the society,” he asserted.
He continued: “The gross underfunding and neglect of the judiciary over the years have impacted negatively on the infrastructure and personnel within the system. It is to a large extent affecting productivity, increasing frustration and deflating morale. That is certainly not a good omen at this stage of our nationhood. The constitution provides for separation of powers and independence of the three arms of government. I am using this medium to appeal to government s at all levels to free the judiciary from the financial bondage it has been subjected to over their the years,” he said.
