JUSUN commences nationwide strike

Lagos, April 6, 2021

Judiciary workers under the aegis of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) on Tuesday, embarked on a nationwide strike action, calling for a full implementation of financial autonomy for the Judiciary.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 22, 2020, signed into law an executive order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.

The Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets

The order also mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

Meanwhile, JUSUN on April 3, issued a circular ordering the closure of courts across the country from Tuesday, April 6, as a measure to drive home its demands for an implementation of the order.

The union is demanding the immediate implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary as provided for by the order .

On Tuesday, Chairman of the Lagos chapter of JUSUN, Mr Kehinde Shobowale said that all entrances to courts premises in the state will remain closed until the union's demands are met.

On the implication of the strike action on court activities in the state he said:

"It is just "a simple strike" involving our members, and this means that whoever is a member of JUSUN Lagos branch will go on strike, that is they will stay at home while only the exco members will be on ground at the high courts.

"All our gates will be under lock and key.

"I would not know if this will affect the activites of courts or not but all I know is that our gates will be under lock and key; that is, the entrance to all courts in Lagos State.

"For us in Lagos State, we believe that the Judiciary is still under something I can conveniently relate to as still in bondage.

"Section 81(3) of the constitution as amended was so explicit as to what should happen to the finance of the Judicialry; so why are people not obeying the Constituion

"Order 10 which was signed by the president was to put that section of the constituion in motion, but implementation has not been done, hence, the Judiciary still go "cap in hand" to the executive for funds to run the courts and that has led to the Judiciary been in bondage in Lagos state

"So, our agitations is that let them obey the constitution, let the Judiciary be free, let us have our money from the consolidated revenue fund directly to the hands of the Chief Judge, then we the staffs can now demand whatever we want from our Chief Judge.

"If you look at the Constituion very well, we are public officers not civil servants, so, the Constitution takes very good care of us. but the executive won't want the Judiciary to go just like the Israelites.

"This time around, it is either they allow us to go or we remain closed indefinitely," he said

Efforts to reach the National President of JUSUN, Mr Mustapha Adamu on phone, proved abortive as he was said to be indisposed.

Meanwhile, at the premises of the Federal High Court Lagos, some lawyers were seen standing around the court's premises with no ongoing activities while some members of JUSUN were seen around the court.