Some lawyers on Tuesday in Abuja commended President Muhammadu Buhari for increasing budgetary allocation to the judiciary from N70 billion to N100 billion.
Mr Steve Eke, an Abuja-based legal practitioner told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was a sign of good things to come for the judiciary.
Eke said that the increment would not only engender efficiency, but stimulate unprecedented delivery of judgments.
The legal practitioner, who regretted the under-funding of the judiciary in the past called for rapid release of funds to the sector to enhance its activities.
“Many members of staff of the court are not paid as at when due as a result of poor funding. One thing is to increase the quota, the other is to release and implementation,” he said.
Eke expressed optimism in the ability of the judiciary to truly defend and uphold rights of the common people.
Also speaking, Mr Musa Mohammed, an Abuja-based lawyer said that it was a panacea to curbing corruption in the judiciary.
Mohammed said that most countries of the world had always ensured adequate funding to the judiciary to prevent corruption.
He said that an independent judiciary was only realisable with adequate funding.
The lawyer, however, thanked President Buhari for articulating way forward for Nigeria’s judiciary, saying that more needed to be done to guarantee its independence.
NAN recalls that President Buhari had on Dec. 14 presented the 2017 budget to the National Assembly. (NAN)