JUSUN kicks against governors’ proposal, vow not end strike

The striking Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has rejected the 36 state governors’ proposed template for the implementation of judiciary’s financial autonomy being demanded by the workers.

The governors, in their proposal, seek the creation of a State Account Allocation Committee (SAAC) to oversee the distribution of funds to the three arms of government at the state level.

But in a communique the union issued after a May 8 meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC), the union insisted on its demand that funds meant for the state judiciaries must be deducted directly from the federation account and paid to the heads of courts through the National Judicial Council (NJC).

It maintained that the provisions of the constitution “cannot be negotiated, doctored, manipulated and therefore must be obeyed”.

As a condition to end its ongoing strike, the union insisted that all the state judiciaries’ funds for October 2020 till May 2021 must be deducted directly from source, the federation account, and paid to the heads of courts through the NJC as prescribed by the constitution

JUSUN members embarked on the nationwide ongoing strike on April 6 in agitation for the judiciary’s financial freedom from the executive, particularly at the state level, where the state governors only fund the two other arms of government as they please.

The judiciary workers’ strike has now crippled Nigeria’s judiciary at both the state and federal levels for over six weeks.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, the Federal Government’s negotiation team led by the labour minister, Chris Ngige, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), have held series of meetings with JUSUN leaders over the crisis.