Court grants Judiciary financial independence

A Federal High Court has declared as unconstitutional and illegal, the current appropriation practice where National Judicial Council (NJC) sends the judiciary yearly’s budget to the budget office.
The court sitting in Abuja also stopped the practice forthwith, saying it was responsible for poor funding of the judiciary and corruption.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja Division gave the order yesterday while ruling on an originating summons filed by Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) against the NJC, Attorney General of the Federation and the National Assembly over the continued  breaches of some provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended
The court said the present funding practice and judiciary’s dependence on the executive arm  in budgeting and release of funds were a violation of Section 81 (2), (3) (c) and 84(2), (7) CFRN 1999 and therefore unconstitutional, null and void.