Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom’s call on the National Judicial Council, NJC to take over the payment of retirement benefits of Justices of State High Courts is apt and justified.

Guv Ortom who made the call at the valedictory court session in honour of the late previous Chief Judge of the state, Justice Iorhemen Hwande, left nobody in doubt concerning the efforts his administration has actually made to attend to the needs of the judiciary.

Governor Ortom is on record as one of the few Governors in this nation who have come out to strongly advocate for financial independence of the judiciary and the legislature, so his suggestion that NJC need to take obligation of paying retired judges their entitlements can not be misinterpreted to indicate that he is renouncing his obligation.

His contention is that said that the payment of such emoluments ought to be looked after right from the point of the Federation Account Committee meetings.

Governor Ortom’s rational and well considered argument is that considering that the NJC pays the incomes of the justices, it must likewise alleviate states of the burden of paying their retirement benefits in addition to pensions.

It is only someone who’s mind is currently skewed against the Governor that will see the Governor’s real call as inappropriate. Is it not a global norm that when you take over a company, you acquire its liabilities and assets?

Financial autonomy does not be available in isolation. It defies logic for anybody to support the payment of salaries of judges by NJC while expecting states to continue bearing the yoke of pensions and gratuity.

Agber Chancha writes from Gboko, Benue State.