The executive, legislature and judiciary are the three known arms of government in any functioning democracy, as the three arms are to share power, work harmoniously where needed and effect the imperative role of checks on one another in the interest of the public. What this should mean by design, is that all three arms will be independent of one another in order to make decisions that reflect the times and needs of the of the people. The independence of the judiciary is particularly perceived to be important because it is the final hope for the common person to get justice that should not be up for purchase or influence by the tides of power from other arms who are usually submerged in the political ocean.
As Indian author, Arundhati Roy so eloquently said “the crisis of modern democracy is a profound one. Free elections, a free press and an independent judiciary mean little when the free market has reduced them to commodities available on sale to the highest bidder”. The vivid danger the famous author described, depicts the current cries of members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) who feel the judiciary nationwide should have financial autonomy. A request that should not be too daunting for the government to implement bearing in mind that President Muhammadu Buhari, has openly supported the move by signing executive order 10 in May 2020, guaranteeing financial autonomy in state judiciaries across Nigeria.
Many worry why government has decided to drag its feet on this matter which as a matter of law, strengthens our institutions and frees it from the shackles of corruption. There are already distant whispers that some of our leaders who may have enjoyed having judges in their pockets, are scared of the potential ripple effects of a financially autonomous justice system that neither bends nor bows to pressures from the executive.
Why shudder or ignore such calls if indeed one has no skeleton hiding in various cupboards? if the goal is to bolster democratic behaviours in governance, should there be any reason why executive order 10 of 2020 be made to feel valueless when all it really does is separate powers and enables proper checks and balances just like the system was originally made to be.
Why have we made it fashionable for workers of different sectors to first embark on industrial action before we make reasonable deals with them? Does the strike by JUSUN help a justice system already popular for delivering justice at snail speed at federal and state levels or are our leaders oblivious of problems that accompany the shutdown of legal activities around the country? Can a country really survive when its educational sector is notoriously known for strikes? Can a country claim to care about its citizens if resident doctors are still on strike while our president enjoys foreign healthcare?
What is the hope of the common man if the leadership at state and federal levels in Nigeria are reluctant to allow the judiciary run its financial affairs?
What is the commonsense reason behind maintaining the status quo of the executive controlling the financial affairs of the judiciary if not corruption and an obsession with dictatorial tendencies?