‘Governors playing on our intelligence’ — JUSUN vows to intensify strike

The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) says it will take the ongoing strike to “another level” in order emphasise its demand for financial autonomy for judicial workers.

The union had shut all courts around the country since April 6 in protest against governors’ failure to implement financial autonomy.

There have been series of meetings with relevant stakeholders in an attempt to bring an end to the strike.

Speaking with TheCable after JUSUN’s national executive council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday, Jimoh Alonge, treasurer of the union, said the governors have not taken concrete actions to reflect financial autonomy for judicial workers.

“We tried to evaluate the happenings around the strike and we resolved that the governors are playing on our intelligence,” Alonge said.

“They came out with a document which they proposed and we reluctantly accepted for the interest of Nigerians who are suffering the effect of this strike.

“They agreed to the condition of deducting from last month’s Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue and pay directly to the judiciary, but up until this moment, they have neither appended their signature to confirm the document nor have they paid the money. We are already in June.

“So we have resolved that we are going to take this strike to another level. We will protest and insist that the accountant-general of the federation should deduct the money meant for the judiciary to the NJC for onward disbursement to states. We don’t want to have anything to do with the governors anymore, even if they feel it is unconstitutional.

“We will address a press conference to tell Nigerians that the governors are the problem we have in this country. How can the judiciary, which is the last hope of a common man, be on strike for two months and nobody is doing anything about it?”