NASS Rejects Judiciary Budget, Gives Minister 24 Hours To Make Appearance

The joint Senate and House of Representatives committee on Wednesday unanimously rejected the judiciary budget.

Naija News learnt that NASS rejected the budget over poor budgetary allocation to the Nigerian Judiciary, an act they believe compromises their independence and ability to function effectively.

According to Channels, the NASS joint committee subsequently gave the Minister of National Planning and DG budget 24 hours to make another appearance.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,  Lateef Fagbemi, during his appearance before the Senate Committee on Judiciary a few days ago, disclosed that the Judiciary has been allocated N5.3 billion for capital expenditure and N8.8 billion for recurrent expenditure in the 2024 budget.

However, the Minister said there is a need for additional funding, urging the committee to support the Ministry, as it was fundamental in driving the current administration’s roadmap for the justice sector.

Stop Castigating The Judiciary

Meanwhile, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Kano, Illyasu Kwankwaso, has urged politicians to desist from criticising the Judiciary over election-related judgments, claiming that it is undermining the development and strengthening of democracy in the country.

Kwankwaso, who served as commissioner for Community and rural development in former governors Ibrahim Shekarau’s and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administrations, respectively, said that judges should be respected as interpreters of the law and an integral part of the system.

He conceded that judges may not always be 100% right in their judgments. Still, he said that men of the Bar and the Bench should not be discredited and that politicians should follow all legal procedures to get justice, lest the reputation of the Nigerian Judiciary be tarnished in front of the world.

Naija News reports that the APC chieftain is a cousin to the Grand Commander of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and National Leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.

In a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Kano on Monday, Kwankwaso reiterated his confidence in the Judiciary, even though he recently lost his bid to be at the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, at the Appeal Court, after winning at the Tribunal.