Don Urges Legislature to Intervene in Executive, Judiciary Impasse

Prof. Frank Asogwa, Dean, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), has urged the federal legislature to intervene on the face-off between executive and judiciary. Asogwa said this in an interview in Nsukka on Thursday.

He said it was the face-off over judiciary financial autonomy that was responsible for the ongoing Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) indefinite nationwide strike that had put courts in the country under lock and key.

“Whenever the Executive and Legislature have misunderstanding the judiciary intervenes through the court to resolve the issue.

“Now Executive and Judiciary have face-off bordering on financial autonomy of the judiciary, which the constitution granted but state governors opposed.

“Legislature should intervene to resolve the issue,” he said.

The professor of law expressed concern that courts that are the last hope of a common man had been under lock and key in the past one month.

“The ongoing strike by judiciary staff made it impossible for the court to hear cases of those detained in police custody as well as other cases by Nigerians who want to seek redress in court.

“Lawyers who work in the temple of justice to make their livelihood can no longer carry out their function because courts across the country have been shut down,” he said.

The legal luminary urged state governors to reconsider their stand and allow judiciary like every arm of government to be independent as granted by the constitution.

“It is unfortunate that the constitution granted the three arms of government independence but it is only that of judiciary that is being contested by the executive,’’ he said.

The don said the financial autonomy of the judiciary would not only make the judicial officers to compete favourably with their counterparts globally but would also improve the justice delivery system in the country.

“The independent judiciary will remove every form of executive influence and interference on the judiciary in carrying out its function as the last hope of a common man.

“Notable Nigerians should speak up to ensure that state governments rescind their decision and allow judiciary financial autonomy, so that JUSUN will suspend the strike.

“It is not a good image for the country before the international community, especially now that the country is facing security challenges, that courts are under lock and key,” he said.

It would be recalled that, national leadership of JUSUN had on April 6, shut down courts in the country in order to press home its demand for judiciary financial autonomy.