Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday night in Port-Harcourt, declared that he would not enact a bill for the financial autonomy of the judiciary.
Wike said that it will be futile to bother the State Assembly with such a bill since the 1999 constitution as amended already recognises the independence of the judiciary.
Governor Wike made this assertion at the dinner in honour of delegates to the 61st annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, held at the banquet hall, Government House, Port Harcourt, the River State capital.
He noted that since Nigeria does not practice a unitary system of government, it would be wrong for the Federal Government to issue directives to states on how they should run their affairs.
“Nobody can force me on how my State will operate. Nobody can say send this bill to the legislature for the autonomy of the judiciary.
The constitution has already guaranteed that the judiciary must be independent and we have agreed on that.
“Amendment had been made that the judiciary must be independent, and on first-line charge. If I’m not obeying that, there is a sanction for it.”
The governor explained that the State government had released all 2021 capital expenditure due to the judiciary since September.
He challenged the Federal Government to prove it has done the same.
Governor Wike urged the Federal Government to desist from playing to the gallery with the issue of financial autonomy for the judiciary.
According to him, a Federal Government with decrepit High Court buildings across the country cannot truly claim it fully supports financial autonomy for the judiciary.
“Are they giving the judiciary at the federal level the budget they are supposed to have to put the courts in order?”
Governor Wike warned that the Rivers State government will resist any attempt by the Federal Government to deduct funds meant for the State under the guise of implementing financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The governor said the NBA cannot continue to be docile while security agencies are used by the Federal Government to intimidate and harass judges.
According to him, “when the judiciary is destroyed, the legal profession is gone.”
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