President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday spoke about his plan to adequately fund the Nigerian judiciary.
Buhari, who spoke at the inauguration of the annex building of the headquarters of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja, also urged the three arms of government to work collectively to protect the rights of all Nigerians.
The event also served as the valedictory session for President of the NICN, Justice Babatunde Adejumo.
“Recall in 2014 the entire budgetary allocation to the judiciary was N68bn,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.
“Today, the judiciary budgetary allocation has gone up to N100bn.
“Rest assured that we shall continue to adequately fund the judiciary to ensure it is enabled to discharge its responsibilities.”
Calling for collaborative efforts by the three arms of government, Buhari said, ‘‘Simply put, all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity, religion and politics deserve peaceful and prosperous lives.
“Where these basic rights are trampled upon, Nigerians deserve fair justice delivery.
It is therefore our collective duty to work collaboratively to ensure that such rights are safeguarded.”
He congratulated Adejumo for serving the country for many years, noting that his meritorious service would not be forgotten.
Buhari added, ‘‘I am confident his legacy will have a positive impact on those who follow him.”
The President, who also spoke on the duties of the industrial court, said, “Indeed, it is the court in Nigeria that is constitutionally mandated to perform these functions. Thus, the performance of this court directly impacts Nigeria’s ease of doing business indices.”
On the usefulness of the court building, Buhari said, ‘‘The socio-economic impact of this court cannot be downplayed as it also provides the platform for employees, retirees as well as the dependents of deceased employees to find justice when treated unfairly.”
Credit: punchng.com
