It’s over one month since judicial workers in Kogi state suspended its almost-six months old strike in preparation for the resolution of the impasse. However, indication reveals that the government of Yahaya Bello is not prepared to settle the matter as SALIHU OYIBO reports.
As at the end of May 2019, the judicial workers in Kogi state clocked one calendar year without salary from the state government despite intervention by the National Judicial Commission (NJC) that urged the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to call off their four months strike and submit themselves for screening and data capturing being embarked upon by the state government in order to enable them receive their backlog of salaries.
Following efforts made by various mediators, including the Kogi State Elders Forum, traditional rulers, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasir Islam (NJI) and other government representative, to wade into the impasse, it could not yield any positive result. The NJC in its quest to resolve the crises sent a sub-committee to the state and, among other things, were able to wade into the matter with the view for an amicable resolution, although without result.
The committee, among other things, resolved that the strike embarked upon on December 11, 2018 by JUSUN, Kogi state branch, be suspended to give room for further deliberation.
The JNC also instructed that a committee be set up between the executive and the judiciary to work out modalities for the payment of salary arrears.
Expectedly, JUSUN heeded to the NJC directives being the apex body that regulates the conduct and administration of the judiciary in Nigeria with the understanding that the matter has finally been laid to rest.
Sadly, more than a month after the union called off the strike and resumed duties in various courts across all the 21 local government areas, the state government in a fragrance display of nonchalant attitude towards the welfare of its workers, refused to constitute its committee for the purpose of screening, data capturing and payment of the judicial workers that they claimed had been hindering the payment of salaries to the arm of government.
More worrisome was the statement made by Governor Yahaya Bello during the presentation of 2019 budget before the state’s House of Assembly in December 2018 that the salaries of judiciary workers were lying idly in the banks claiming that the JUSUN’s strike action was responsible for the delay in the payment of salaries owed the judiciary workers.
No end in sight
Surprisingly, almost a month after calling off of the strike, there is no sign that the government is willing to pay the salary which is a clear indications that the governor is not ready for the anticipated data capturing and screening exercise he had repeatedly claimed was responsible for withholding funds due to them.
However, Blueprint’s visit to many courts in Lokoja, Okene , Kabba and Idah showed that even though the courts have reopened, they are not fully operational and to that extent are not performing their statutory obligations as most of the staff cannot transport themselves to the office for lack of money.
One of the staff who summoned courage to speak with Blueprint but craved anonymity said even before JUSUN embarked on the strike, activities in the courts had been halted due to lack of fund to procure stationeries and other needs that enhance the functioning of the courts.
“Beside the stationery, the offices have been shut down for over four months now and there is need for thorough cleaning and even fumigation against reptiles and to make the offices conducive for staff.
“So with these challenges, how do you expect the offices to function or the people who have not been paid upward of 11 months salaries to come to work?” he asked.
Also another source confirms to Blueprint that the judiciary has since constituted a 19-man committee expected to work in conjunction with its counterpart from the executive but regrettably the secretary to the state government (SSG) Mrs Folashade Arike Ayoade, was said to have insisted on meeting with only the chief registrars and directors of finance of the three courts affected by the non-payment of salaries.
The source also hinted that the judiciary has since requested that the executive should release one month subvention to enable it pay one month salary so as to get the staff prepared for the exercise and also allow the judiciary make its offices ready for its activities. Sadly, the request was not only turned down by the executive, it was completely jettisoned without recourse for the welfare of the judicial workers.
According to the source, “The many meetings that have been held in the SSG’s office did not yield anything tangible and there seems to be a concerted effort to humiliate or force the judiciary into submission which has undermined the peace initiative of the NJC.”
Rights activist reacts
Commenting on the lingering impasse between the two arms of government, a human right activist and executive director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, Mr Idris Miliki Abdul, described the situation as worrisome that requires urgent action to save the judicial staff from untimely death.
According to him, “The judiciary arm of government is critical to the nation and you cannot treat their affairs the same way you handle legislative arm because courts are involved; the ligations are involved and the administration of justice in Nigeria solely lays in the hand of judiciary.
“So treating Judiciary with levity connote setting negative precedence and it is evidently clear now that Kogi state government is hiding behind one finger. We were there during the recent delegate conference of the state NLC where the chief of staff to the state governor, Edward Onoja and the SSG were in attendance.
“The chief of staff, while reacting to the NLC chairman statement, said that he was surprise that the judiciary has not called off their strike which was four days after the intervention of the NJC into the impasse.
“Onoja assured that if JUSUN calls off the strike, they will get not less than six month salaries. It was a specific statement from the chief of staff who represented the governor at the occasion.
The human rights activist, however, lamented that almost a month after JUSUN heeded the NJC directive and called off the strike, the executive arm of the government refused to set up a committee who will now in conjunction with judiciary committee conduct the screening and the data capturing exercise.
“Now that the executive is foot dragging to do the needful, this has clearly shows that there is no money for the payment of the salary despite the claim by the governor that the Judicial subvention is lying in the bank.
“We are appealing to President Muhamadu Buhari to bail the judiciary from the ruthless behaviour of the executive by ensuring that the other two arms of government gain their financial autonomy because what is happening in Kogi state right now is enough to do the needful.
“Judicial workers in the state have dependants, they feed their families, pay their children school fees and attend to other responsibilities; but they people have been rendered incapacitated financially for 11 months now. It is piteous as the governor did not have any excuse for not paying the judicial staff.”
Certainly, in any negotiation it cannot be a win-loss situation; it is supposed to be a win-win situation where the parties involved will have concrete issue to hold on to, but investigation shows that government, right from the onset of the crises, was not sincere and as such, pundits in the state are of the view that the NJC may have played the judiciary and its workers into the hands of the executive as the institution is now being intimidated and pushed around by the executive arm of government as the desire for truce have met a brick-wall.
