Governors bow to JUSUN, agree to implement autonomy for judiciary, state assemblies

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Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) and governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has announced the implementation of
autonomy for state legislature and judiciary, with effect from May.
The governor disclosed this while addressing State House correspondents on Monday.
According to him, the decision was reached during a meeting attended by federal lawmakers, representatives of the judiciary and legislative staff, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) had last week embarked on a strike to protest against the refusal to implement autonomy for the judiciary.
President Muhammadu Buhari had signed an order to that effect in May 2020, but the gazetting of the order was suspended after the president met with governors, triggering reports that the governors were frustrating the implementation of the order.
Fayemi however insisted the that the governors never objected to full autonomy for the state assemblies and judiciary.
According to him, “There has been no objection from governors on judicial and legislative autonomies. As a matter of fact, it would not have passed if governors were not in support in the first instance, in the state assemblies.
“But we don’t just want to agree to something on paper without working out the modalities for implementation. Thankfully, the meeting we have just emerged from, with the chief of staff to the president chairing, has worked out the modalities to the satisfaction of all parties.
“As soon as the final document that is being cleaned up emerges, that is preparatory to implementation. We’re not going to put a timeframe in the air, but it will be implemented as soon as possible, definitely no later than the end of May 2021.”
Fayemi called on the striking judiciary and legislative workers should return to work because, saying that all the stakeholders had been consulted.
“I think we are basically at a position where, whether you speak to the conference of speakers’ chairperson or you speak to me or you speak to the representative of the judiciary or you speak to the solicitor-general of the federation, you will hear that we’re speaking with one voice on the implementation.
”And no later than May, you will start seeing the implementation of the agreement that we’ve reached”, the governor said.

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