Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged both the federal and state governments to allocate sufficient financial resources in their 2025 budgets to enable the judiciary to independently fund the construction of housing and purchase vehicles for judges.

Falana argued that these provisions are crucial to protecting judges from undue executive influence.

In a statement titled – “Financial Autonomy for the Judiciary Must Be Actualised in 2025 Budgets” – Falana emphasized that financial autonomy is essential for preserving the independence of the judiciary, which he believes is currently compromised by executive control.

He highlighted a glaring disparity in the treatment of judges compared to other government officials. For instance, when President Bola Tinubu took office, new SUVs were quietly distributed to members of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.

In contrast, judges who received replacement vehicles after a decade of service were subjected to public ceremonies where state governors handed over keys, an event Falana described as humiliating.

This issue, he added, reached a new low when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, publicly assembled senior judges for the launch of a project to build 40 housing units for judges.