CJ Canvasses Financial Autonomy For Judiciary

Justice Cronwell Idahosa, the Chief Judge of Edo, has called for the implementation of Section 121, subsection three of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for financial autonomy of the judiciary.

Idahosa made the call in a presentation at a ceremony to mark the opening of the 2010 and 2011 legal year of the state.

The section states that “any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the state, shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts concerned’’.

Idahosa said the constitutional provision “ gives legal basis for the independence or autonomy of the judiciary in financial matters,’’ and urged Gov. Adams Oshiomhole to implement it.

“As at now for all capital development, the executive holds the purse strings, but once in a long while, the judiciary is lucky to have a governor, who genuinely believes in the development of the judiciary,’’ he said.

The chief judge said that there was no alternative to implementing the constitutional provision, and asked, “what will happen when a Pharaoh, who does not know Joseph comes to power?

He argued that if the state implemented the provision, it would be a legacy that “shall last till the end of time, and also help to build a strong and virile judiciary as an institution’’.