- The meeting was convened by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, to find a solution to the judiciary workers’ strike that has crippled court activities across Nigeria.
Officials of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) are in a crucial meeting with the National Judicial Council (NJC) in Abuja.
The meeting was convened in the hope of finding a solution to the unions’ strike which has crippled court activities across Nigeria for over two months.
The striking workers are demanding financial autonomy for the judicial arm of government.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, the National Treasurer of JUSUN, Jimoh Musa, told PREMIUM TIMES earlier that the meeting was at the behest of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad.
He revealed that Chief Judges of various states would participate in the meeting.
“We are meeting with the NJC. The Chief Judges of states have been invited over the strike matter. Some of them have arrived while others will be on Zoom. We are to appear before them,” he said.
Governors yet to implement agreement
Mr Musa said the state governors were yet to commence direct payment of monthly allocations from the federation account to the judiciary, as agreed in the series of reconciliatory meetings convened by the Labour Minister, Chris Ngige.
“They (governors) have not started paying (the funds directly to the NJC). We are waiting for the state governors to commence payment so that we can inform our workers.
“They have not started, so the NJC felt we should meet today (Tuesday).
“But we don’t know what the agenda of the meeting is,” he said.
However, the labour minister, Mr Ngige, had assured Nigerians that the strike would be called off this week.
Mr Ngige said the implementation of the financial autonomy of the judiciary and the legislature at the state level would begin this week.