EDO JUSUN PROTESTS PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO JUDICIAL AUTONOMY LAW
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The Edo State chapter of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has protested at the Edo State House of Assembly in Benin City against a proposed amendment to the law granting financial autonomy to the state judiciary and legislature.
The protesters, who marched to the Assembly complex, said the proposed amendment could weaken the financial independence of the judiciary and urged lawmakers to withdraw the bill.
Receiving the protesters, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Atu Osammwonyi, assured them that their concerns would be communicated to the Speaker. He also promised that JUSUN would be invited for a roundtable discussion on the issue.
JUSUN Chairman, Charles Orhue, said the union was not opposed to the Assembly’s lawmaking powers but insisted that financial matters concerning the judiciary should be handled without legislative interference.
The protest followed a bill recently submitted by the Edo State Government seeking to amend the existing law on financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature.