The Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Godwin Abraham, says the financial autonomy of the judiciary would usher in infrastructure development and capacity building needed to reposition it for an effective administration of justice in the overall interest of the citizenry.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently signed an Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, which gives impetus to the implementation of financial autonomy to State Houses of Assembly and the Judiciary across the 36 States of the Federation.
In a statement issued and signed by him in Uyo, Justice Abraham expressed confidence “that the new financial dispensation will engender far-reaching consequences for the judiciary in terms of infrastructure development and capacity building required to reposition it for the effective administration of Justice for the benefit of the citizenry.
The Chief Judge described the implementation of the financial autonomy of the judiciary as the key to the quick dispensation of justice in the country.
The Number 1 Law Officer in the state said he does “not envisage any difficulty in implementing the financial autonomy in Akwa Ibom, having regards to the existing cordial and collaborative relationship between the three arms of government in the State and the commitment of Governor Udom Emmanuel to the development of the Judiciary over the past years.”
According to him, “the new fiscal scheme portends challenges for the Judiciary and calls for a tremendous sense of responsibility. In this regard, we are already repositioning the Judiciary for an effective take-off of the new financial status.”
Justice Abraham thanked President Buhari for granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
He solicited the cooperation of stakeholders toward realising the objective of the new financial autonomy.
