By Bolanle Lawal
Workers in the judiciary in Ekiti on Tuesday joined their colleagues nationwide to begin an indefinite strike in compliance with the directive of the national executives of the Judiciary Staff Union (JUSUN).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the magistrate courts, the state high courts and Court of Appeal in the state consequently were shut with litigants and some lawyers seen milling around the court premises.
Mrs Rachael Ayeni, JUSUN Chairman in the state, said that the strike would be indefinite until their demands are met.
Ayeni said that the Union had at its last National Executive meeting on March 13, in Abuja, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government to implement the financial autonomy of the judiciary.
She said that the strike action was to press home their demand for the financial autonomy of the judicial arm of government.
”A circular was signed by JUSUN’s General Secretary, Mr Isreal Adetola, which directed all states and zonal heads of the union to comply with the strike.
“The strike action ought to have started on Monday April 5 but was moved to Tuesday April 6 due to the Easter public holiday.
“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,’’ she said
Also, Mr Tayo Oluwalana, Chairman, Court of Appeal, JUSUN Chapter, said that workers in both the Court of Appeal and Federal High Courts would join the state chapters of JUSUN in the agitation until their demands were met.
Officials of the Correctional Centre, who had brought some inmates to court for the continuation of their trial, had to take them back in their van after they were disallowed entry into the court premises. (NAN)
