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The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) says it remains firm in its quest for the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary until its demands are met.
National Secretary of JUSUN, Isaiah Adetola, in an interview said that the union was tired of broken promises.
He said that in 2015 the union had embarked on a prolonged strike action following which there was a memorandum of understanding from the state governors, which understanding was never kept.
Adetola said the union would hold a meeting with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, adding that if such resolution on implementation of its demand for financial autonomy is presented and endorsed by all, then the strike can be called off.
“Where such endorsement is not implemented to the letter, the union would again, resume its strike action
“You see, we are tired of promises and promises that will be broken after a little while; if you remember we went on strike in 2015 for the same actualisation of financial autonomy and even went to the extent of taking an MOU from the governors and at the end, they relented.
“Today we are going to the ministry of labour; the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday last week but while we were about leaving our office we got a text message that the meeting has been postponed indefinitely
“Yesterday, we were at the front of the court of appeal in Abuja where we demonstrated and later asked our people to go home because the Minister of labour has equally invited us for another round of meeting today at 3 p.m., with these governors; whether they will cancel it we don’t know.
“JUSUN is not the writer of the constitution of Nigeria; it is the ground norm for all of us and the very law that created the executive, the judiciary and the legislature.
“It takes two to tangle, so if we see them today at the ministry of labour and they come out with that resolution and we all endorse it, the whole world will hear about it, then we call the strike off, and wait for implementation
“Where they do not implement within a reasonable time, then we are coming out again,” he said.
Adetola also faulted online reports suggesting that the JUSUN strike had been suspended, following an address by its National President, Marwa, who described same as a ploy.
According to him, the JUSUN President is not fine enough to address the press as he is currently receiving medical attention.
“What you hear from me is authoritative; we have not called off the strike, anything to the contrary is a ploy, a deception and a waste of time,” he said
JUSUN had on April 6, 2021, began nationwide strike action, calling for full implementation of judicial financial autonomy as provided for by the 1999 Constitution as amended).
Following an emergency meeting by the union’s National Working Committee on April 15, a circular was issued on April 16 in which it was announced that a peaceful protest will be held in Abuja, to further drive home JUSUN’s demand.
The union had also directed all its branches in the 36 States of the Federation to replicate the “march” in their various jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Olumdie Akpata in a statement issued on April 16, 2021, also directed all NBA branch chairmen, to mobilise their members, for a visit to their respective state governors seeking compliance with constitutional provisions on judicial autonomy.
Following the various protest on Monday, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) consequently, said it would ensure the implementation of financial autonomy for state legislative and judiciary institutions by May 2021
Chairman of the NGF, Kayode Fayemi had assured after a meeting with the Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja.