FG, judiciary workers fail to reach agreement

A meeting between judiciary workers and representatives of the federal government has ended with no concrete solutions.

The meeting was postponed till next week.

Courts across the country are expected to remain closed until at least next week.

Meanwhile, the workers have been on strike since April as they insist on financial autonomy for the judiciary.

The government has said the appropriate laws for judiciary autonomy have been signed into law and that implementation lies with state governments.

Speaking at Thursday’s meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige maintained that the federal government has no problem with the issue of financial autonomy for the judiciary.

He hinted that it is an issue that concerns states and their finances.

The Minister added that major progress has been made during the series of meetings the government has held since the strike was declared.

Ngige further explained that 90 percent of all requirements have been met and that the remaining 10 percent need to be addressed after the reopening of the courts.

He pleaded with the workers to suspend their strike, so that all the procedures can be operationalised.

He also said that the closure of courts is an impediment for security agencies, who cannot charge suspects of crimes such as kidnapping and banditry to court.

Remarking, President of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Marwan Adamu, noted that the meeting wouldn’t have been necessary if the position of the law and constitution had been adhered to.

Adamu submitted  that the workers were not attempting to negotiate the constitution but to ensure compliance with its provisions on financial autonomy for the judiciary.