25th November, 2013
Nnamdi Felix / Abuja
Judiciary Staff Association of Nigeria, JUSUN, has dragged the Federal Government before a Federal High Court siting in Abuja urging the court to compel government to comply with the constitution in the disbursement of funds to the judiciary.
The judiciary workers body wants the court to hold that the piecemeal allocation of funds through the states’ ministry of finance to the states’ judiciary at the Federal Government and states’ pleasure, is unconstitutional, un-procedural, cumbersome, null, void, and has to be stopped forthwith.
It listed the National Judicial Council, the Federal Government and the 36 state governors as defendants.
The workers contended that the way and manner with which the federation account/consolidated revenue fund of the federal and states were being handled was unsatisfactory and insist that their members’ welfare had suffered as a result of the present practice.
They asked the court to declare that the defendants’ failure to pay the funds/amount standing to the credit of the states’ judiciary in the federation/consolidated revenue funds directly to the heads of courts in the various states’ judiciary was a constitutional breach which has to stop.
Furthermore, the workers asked the court to make an order compelling the Federal Government annd the other defendants to comply with the provisions of sections 81(3), 212(3) and 162(9) of the Nigerian Constitution in the disbursement of funds to the heads of courts forthwith.
They also asked for an order of perpetual injunction to perpetually restrain the Federal Government from committing any further breach of the afore-said constitutional/statutory provisions.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola has reserved judgment in the matter for 19 December.