Activities across courts in Kogi State were yesterday grounded following an indefinite strike embarked upon by members of the state’s chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) over unpaid salaries.
The state’s chairman of JUSUN, Comrade Emmanuel Waniko, said the industrial action became necessary due to the refusal of the state government to release subventions due to the judiciary; a situation which he noted led to the nonpayment of judiciary staff in the last six months.
He said the leadership of the union had been battling the state government on compliance with a 2014 Federal High Court judgment that mandated each state government should respect Section 121(3) of the Constitution that stipulates the financial independence of state judiciaries. According to him, the staff members can no longer afford to meet basic needs and transport to work, hence the need for the industrial action.
A visit to some of the courts in the state capital indicated total compliance with the union’s directive.
