Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, yesterday, pledged his administration’s commitment to the implementation of financial autonomy for the Abia State Judiciary.
The governor, who hosted members of the Forum of Abia State Nigerian Bar Association Chapters, led by the Chairman, Samuel Nwosu, yesterday at Government House, Umuahia, promised to direct the relevant authorities to work out the modalities.
Ikpeazu said the trying times in the country notwithstanding, he reassured the visitors that the state government would support the judiciary’s quest for financial independence.
He dismissed the insinuation that his colleagues were frustrating the advocacy.
The governor lauded the group for going about the agitation peacefully and maturely.
Urging them to be realistic in their expectations, Ikpeazu remarked: “Budgets are statements of financial aspiration and the current situation in Nigeria today brings lots of uncertainties in financial issues, especially as it relates to government income.”
Earlier, the leader of the team, Nwosu, told the governor that their visit was to draw his attention to the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.
He recalled that it was the unsavoury scenario that prompted the recently suspended nationwide strike by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
Nwosu, therefore, urged the Abia chief executive to activate the process of implementing the idea, noting that by doing so, history would be fair to him and his administration.
He added: “The national leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has chosen to stand by JUSUN on this issue. Hence, it is both constitutional democratic.”
