failure To Resolve JUSUN Strike

The court described as unconstitutional the piecemeal funding of the judiciary by state governments.

It ordered that the Accountant-General of the ‎Federation to be deducting the amount standing to the credit of various state judiciary and disburse to the various heads of court in line with constitutional provisions.

Top government functionaries at both state and federal levels met with the striking Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria on Monday, but  failed to find solution to the lingering industrial action.

‎The nationwide strike, which has grounded the entire judiciary arms of government at all levels, started on January 5, 2015.

‎The stakeholders’ meeting which held at the instance of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, lasted between 6pm and 10pm on Monday.

Another meeting of the stakeholders with JUSUN officials and various Chief Registrars of various state high courts was scheduled to hold at about 6pm on Tuesday.

As of the time of filing this report, our correspondent learnt that JUSUN officials were on their way to the meeting scheduled to take place at the Conference Hall of the Office of the Secretary to the Federation.

The Monday’s meeting was unable to meet JUSUN’s demand for the compliance with the judgment of a Federal High Court, Abuja which affirmed the financial autonomy status of the judiciary.

It was learnt that another meeting with Chief Registrars of state high courts was scheduled following claims by some state Attorneys-General that their states were already complying with the judgment.

The head of the body of state Attorneys-General, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (Ondo State), was present at the meeting.

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was invited but was absent at the meeting.

Some of those who attended the meeting were the  Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke; Supervising Minister for Labour and Productivity, Kabir Turaki,  the leadership and the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN).

Those who were also at the meeting were  the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Jonah Otunla and some state Attorneys-General along with  the leadership and President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Abdulwaheed Omar‎.

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The Monday’s meeting was the second in the series of futile government’s talk with the workers since the strike started on January 5.

The Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity, along with other stakeholders had met with the JUSUN officers on January 7, two days after the lingering strike started.

But the representatives of the workers had left the meeting with a resolve to continue the strike until its demand was met.

The judgment which JUSUN is agitating for its  implementation was delivered by Justice Adeniyi Ademola on January 13, 2014.