Kogi CJ harps on financial autonomy for judiciary

He said this at Ganaja, Ajaokuta local government area of the state at the inauguration of a magistrate court in the community. The chief judge noted that complete fulfilment of the spirit of the provision of Section 121(3) of the 1999 constitution would not make the judiciary run to the executive for financial obligations. According to him, since such was not the situation, the judiciary was constrained to keep demanding for funds for execution of projects and other judicial activities from the executive. Ajanah said the new magistrate court building and two others in Felele, Lokoja and Ihima in Okehi local government area were necessitated by the need to bring justice closer to the people. He noted that although the court is in Ajaokuta local government area, it was important for the residents of Lokoja as it would alleviate the difficulty of Ganaja who had had to go to other locations of the magistrates courts inside the town to access justice. The chief judge however lamented the poor conditions of many of the courts in the state, noting that there was the need to refurbish many of them. Ajanah said, “The magistrate in Ihima was a building that existed in the colonial times. It was not too befitting in the present times for a magistrate court and was already cracking. We pulled it down and constructed a befitting one.” “I must say that many of our courts need to be refurbished or new constructions done in other places, I pledge not to rest on my oars as long as I remain at the helm of affairs in the Kogi state judiciary.”]]>