The proposed nationwide indefinite strike by the Judiciary Staff of Nigeria (JUSUN) from Monday 13th November, 2023 has continued to elicit different reactions.
JUSUN in a circular said it will embark on an indefinite strike until the N35,000 minimum wage approved for its members is implemented. This agitation has been on over time as the new minimum wage which was approved since 2019 has not been implemented.
As lawyers and defendants are increasingly troubled about the ever-rising backlog of cases, it is worthy of note that a nationwide strike of court workers in Nigeria will paralyze the justice system, resulting in extended prison remands for those awaiting trial or sentencing and lengthier delays for everyone else.
When Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko, JSC (Rtd.) challenged the handling of the judiciary’s finances and called on anti-graft agencies to probe its financial records many were aghast.
During his valedictory ceremony on 23 May, 2021, Eko, JSC, said: “Nothing stops the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the ICPC and other investigatory agencies from opening the books of the judiciary to expose the corruption in the management of their budgetary resources. That does not compromise the independence of the judiciary. Rather, it promotes accountability.”
Likewise, Hon. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, JSC (Rtd.) who exited the country’s apex court on Friday, 27th October, 2023 raised posers about the utilisation of funds allocated to the judiciary.
“Beyond the issue of the salaries of Justices remaining static with no graduation for over 15 years now, it is instructive to enquire what the judiciary also does with its allocations. Who is responsible for the expenditure? An unrelenting searchlight needs to be beamed to unravel how the sums are expended.
“In 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari became the president, the budgetary allocation to the judiciary was ₦70 billion. In the 2018 Appropriation Bill submitted to the National Assembly, the President allocated ₦100 billion to the judiciary.
“The legislature increased it to ₦110 billion; ₦10 billion above the ₦100 billion appropriated for the 2017 fiscal year. At the end of President Buhari’s tenure in May 2023, judiciary’s allocation had increased to ₦130 billion. That is an increase from ₦70 to ₦130 billion in 8 years. The present government has allocated an additional sum of 35 billion naira to the judiciary for the current financial year making the amount of money accessible by the judiciary to 165 billion naira. More than 85 percent of the amount appropriated by the 9th Assembly has so far been released to the judiciary. It is envisaged that the additional 35 billion naira will equally be released by the present government.
“Notwithstanding the phenomenal increases in the sums appropriated and released to the judiciary, Justices and officers’ welfare and the quality of service the judiciary render have continued to decline.”
