The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, has stressed the need for state governors to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary to strengthen the democratic system.
Speaking at the commissioning of Justice Umaru Abdullahi Health Clinic in Katsina, Justice Mohammed said anything short of this will only amount to abuse of rule of law which is undemocratic.
Mohammed, who was represented by a Supreme Court Judge, Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji, said, “the branches of government as provided for under the constitution are partners for ensuring good governance and sustenance of democrac; unfortunately the judicial arm is in most cases hampered to perform ultimately as a result of financial dependence on the Executive branch.”
The state governor, Aminu Masari, assured of his administration’s readiness to reposition democratic institutions to make them more efficient in service delivery.
He said the provision of healthcare and welfare to judicial officers and their supporting staff are sure ways of enhancing service delivery in the justice sector.
Earlier, the state’s chief judge, Justice Musa Danladi said the idea of providing the health clinic followed his appeal to the governor during the opening ceremony of 2019/2020 legal year and announced that all judicial staff have been enrolled into the National Health Insurance scheme through the state health insurance agency.
