On Friday, June 5, 2020, Governor Gboyega Oyetola presented 12 Toyota Jeeps to judges in the state as part of welfare package for judicial officers.
The governor said since he assumed office, no arm of government deprives the other of benefits or gains, adding that there are no tendencies to subjugate either of the three arms since his assumption of office.
This came barely a month after President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order 10 of 2020, a legal instrument predicated on Section 5(1b) of the 1999 Constitution to grant financial autonomy to the judiciary and legislative arms of government.
According to a source, the last time judges in the state were given official vehicles was in 2008, 12 years ago to be precise.
Meanwhile, lawyers who spoke to DAILY POST on the presentation of the cars expressed mixed feelings; while some described it as a welcome development for providing care for judges, others believe it is a gift aimed at benefiting the executive.
The chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Osogbo, Abdurahman Okunade hailed the government for providing the vehicles but opposed it in the context of autonomy.
“It’s been long since we started clamoring for welfare package for our judges. Giving them vehicles is a welcome development but it is not accepted in the context of autonomy, in the sense that judges are expected to be independent. The governor or government may have matters before the judges and in a situation whereby you’re giving them a gift; how independent are they expected to be. This is a bit contradictory”
He explained further that the law has stated that the judiciary is entitled to autonomy in terms of finance.
According to him, it is misappropriation of funds if the money is from the executive, stressing that the money for the vehicles was supposed to have come from the judiciary budget and spent by them.
According to the Head of Olujunmi and Akeredolu Chambers, Ibrahim Lawal, there is no extra meaning to the vehicles given to the judges, as the capital funding of the judiciary will still in one way or the other be done by the executive even with financial autonomy.
He opined that the vehicles that were given to the judges have been planned in the budget. “Executive, legislative and judiciary are all government officials. I don’t think it affects the autonomy of the judiciary.”
Commending the government, Barrister Dawood Ajetunmobi said the judiciary and by extension judges in Osun State deserve everything and anything that can make dispensation of justice smooth and fast.
According to him, If in the considered opinion of the judges, the next thing on their scale of preference is the new automobiles presented to them on Friday, so be it.
He urged the government to fast-track the procedure in implementing the new executive order recently signed by the President which gave full autonomy to the judiciary.
“That is the only thing that can solve the myriad of problems that have bedeviled the judicial arm of government in Osun. Can you imagine, as I speak now, no functional toilets for the use of lawyers and litigants in our courts, especially Osogbo Division. The state of infrastructural development is zero. No enough courtrooms. That is why our Magistrates are sitting in alternate days. Our judges are still taking notes of the proceedings in long hands. So, the only “welfare package” that the government can give to our judges is to implement the autonomy given to the judiciary,” he added.
A senior lawyer, Edmund Biriomoni described the cars as gifts with benefits, relating it to the recent Dubai trip of the judges sponsored by the state government while the state has the worst courts in the country.
Edmund said, “The provision of the vehicle should come from the judiciary, not from the executive. They are not independent when the executive is providing everything with the judiciary needs. The autonomy for any arms of government will actually enable them to carry whatever they want.
“I believe it’s a Greek gift, still, our judges need it. The moment I see those vehicles, I believe the state government has been losing cases. What about the trip to Dubai for all the judges?
What have you done to our court before you took judges to Dubai? Osun courts are the worst in the country.” He added.
DAILY POST