After years of strikes, court shutdowns and “we are not on strike for luxury” placards, Enugu State might finally be about to free its judges from the purse strings of the executive. Here’s why that matters for every ordinary person waiting for justice.

So, what’s actually happening in Enugu?

In plain English, the Enugu State Government has finally blinked — and acted.

As reported by cbinews.tv, the government inaugurated a 13-man Joint Technical Committee on 16 September to work out how the state judiciary will fund itself, without having to beg the executive every month. The committee has a hard deadline: final report to be submitted by 12 noon on 19 October.

It’s a direct fallout of an agreement signed on 17 September 2025 between the state government and the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) — the union that has shut down courts across Nigeria more times than most of us can count.

Let’s break it down properly:

This is not new. JUSUN went on a nationwide indefinite strike on 6 April 2021 that paralysed every court in Nigeria for over two months. The trigger? President Muhammadu Buhari had signed Executive Order 10 in May 2020 granting financial autonomy to state judiciaries and legislatures, but most governors simply didn’t comply.

The governors and JUSUN later signed a Memorandum of Action on 20 May 2021 to end that strike. But implementation has been patchy.

In Enugu specifically, JUSUN directed workers to withdraw services effective 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 12 September 2025 over unpaid CONJUS and salary arrears, with the union insisting: “We are not on strike for luxury or frivolities. We are on strike because, despite autonomy, workers’ welfare has been neglected”.

That’s the human angle here. When courts shut, it’s not just lawyers in wigs who suffer. A market woman awaiting a land case, a young man awaiting trial for 3 years, a worker owed salary — their justice is paused. Court staff themselves say they’ve sacrificed while autonomy was implemented on paper but not in their payslips.

An independent judiciary isn’t a favour. As JUSUN’s Chinedu Eze put it, it’s a constitutional entitlement. When judges have to go cap-in-hand to the executive for fuel for their generators or paper for judgments, can they truly rule against that same executive?

Data tells the story: according to stakeholders during the 2021 strike, over four weeks of court closure led to severe prison congestion and colossal economic loss. Financial autonomy is meant to fix that — quicker dispensation of justice, less political interference, and a judiciary that can plan its own needs.

As AG Nnajieze said, the new framework will give the judiciary greater control over its funding without undue interference, though the executive remains critical to providing resources. Governor Mbah has also pushed for inaugurating the State Account and Allocation Committee — another constitutional body that has been dormant in many states.

What is judicial financial autonomy?

Think of it like this: Right now in many states, the judiciary’s money goes into the state’s general pot, and the governor decides what and when to release. Autonomy means the judiciary’s share — already approved in the budget — goes straight from the Federation Account into the judiciary’s account, managed by the Chief Judge. Same principle as Sections 81(3) and 121(3) for federal and state judiciaries. It covers salaries, allowances, pensions and operational costs.

What’s next?

1. Preliminary Report — expected within 31 days of inauguration.

2. Final Report — due by 12 noon, 19 October at the SSG’s office.

3. Implementation — verification of all outstanding arrears, rollout of CONJUS, and actual first-line charge funding.

4. Watch this space — Will Enugu become a model for the South-East? JUSUN says it will support the committee but will be watching keenly. If the deadline slips, another strike is not off the table.

This is one of those quiet reforms that could loudly change how justice feels in Enugu. We at cbinews.tv will keep tracking it.

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