The Judiciary

      FG not withholding
fund for judiciary

The Accountant General of the
Federation (AGF), Mr Jonah Otunla,
said’,  on Tuesday, that the Federal
Government had not
witheld any
fund meant for the judiciary workers,
adding that it had always ensured
compliance.
Otunla, in an interview with
journalists in Abuja, was reacting to
an allegation that the office of
Accountnt General of the Federation
did not comply with the judgment
which barred the executive from
holding on to funds meant for the
judiciary.
The office of the Accountant General,
he said, was never a party to that
litigation.
“But without any prejudice to that
and also reminding you that the
Federal Government has been acting
consequently with what it should
do.
“We’ve always been giving National
Judicial Council its money as a first
line charge without interference with
how they manage the funds.”
Otunla explained that at the last
Federation Account Allocation
Committee meeting held on
December 16, a nominal distribution
for money was made to the various
state judiciaries.
He said: “At the last Federation
Accounts Allocation Committee
meeting, the OAGF made a nominal
distribution for money to be remitted
to the various state judiciaries but
the states said they should give
them more time to reconcile their
figures and they rightly declined that
we should not effect the deduction.
“So at the Federal Ministry of
Finance, we have tried our very best
to ensure that the judgment is
abided with. So the fault is not really
ours"
“I think some states have even gone
as far as to challenge the judgment
and it’s not really on the part of the
OAGF to deduct the money of state
when they say don’t.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government
has summoned the Judiciary Staff
Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to an
emergency meeting today evening
over its ongoing strike action that
has paralysed activities in courts
across the country.
The notice of the emergency meeting
came as the president of JUSUN,
Comrade Marwan Mustapha Adamu,
told the Nigerian Tribune that no
amount of intimidation or threats
would make the union suspend the
ongoing strike. The strike enters its
third day today.
JUSUN was invited through a letter
with Ref. No. ML.IB/155/1//187,
signed by Mrs Ike M.O for the
Minister of Labour and Productivity,
Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki.
The letter, dated January 6, 2015,
read: “I am directed to refer to the
current industrial action embarked
upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of
Nigeria and to invite you to an
emergency meeting scheduled as
follows..”
But the president of JUSUN,
Comrade Adamu, vowed that the
strike would continue, adding that
no amount of intimidation would
make them suspend the strike at
this time.
He said the meeting was
unnecessary because the only thing
that could make them suspend the
strike now was the implementation
of the Federal High Court, Abuja
judgment on the financial autonomy
of the judiciary.