1st February, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Photo: lagosministryofjustice.gov.ng
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, has suspended its strike in Lagos and directed its members to resume for work.
JUSUN embarked on strike on 3 January, 2015. While the Federal chapter of JUSUN called off its strike few days ago, the state chapters voted to continue the strike action.
The Lagos state chapter of the body called off its on Saturday night after it met with officials of the Lagos State Government led by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye.
Comrade Emmanuel Abioye, Chairman, JUSUN, Lagos State in a text message sent to Ipaye said the union had suspended the strike it embarked upon in the interest of Lagosians.
“This is to inform your honour that the strike has been suspended in the interest of Lagos as the Centre of Excellence,” Abioye said in the message to Ipaye.
The Attorney General, Ipaye said at the meeting the government held with JUSUN, government made it clear that Lagos state already had a judiciary self-accounting law since 1995 which is being implemented to date with the judiciary getting its recurrent votes as first line charge on the consolidated revenue fund once a month.
“We explained that capital fund cannot however be transferred monthly as it has to be accumulated and used for many projects programmed for simultaneous implementation,” he stated,
Ipaye added that besides, projects were better managed by the Ministry of Works which is set up to serve all arms of government. I
“In the end, our position was that Lagos State was already implementing the provisions on autonomy of the judiciary. JUSUN promised to go and look into these. Now, they have suspended the strike,” Ipaye said.
JUSUN had embarked on a nationwide strike to persuade the federal government to grant autonomy to judicial arm of government.
The action became necessary following the alleged failure of the federal government to implement a verdict of a Federal High court of 13 January, 2014.