Davidson Iriekpen
30 October 2009
Lagos — The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has appealed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), do his utmost best to ensure that the ultimatum issued by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to the federal and state governments, threatening to resume the suspended strike action by Monday, November 1, 2009 does not come to pass.
NBA in a statement signed by its President, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and the National Publicity Secretary, Murtala Abdulrasheed, said the judiciary was too critical to national development for the lingering face-off between its workers and government to be allowed to become a recurrent decimal, adding that strike actions affecting the judiciary undermines the economy and heightens the state of insecurity in the nation.
It will be recalled that the last strike action embarked on by JUSUN lasted nearly eight weeks between December 2008, and January 2009 with a most debilitating impact on justice delivery.
The NBA is therefore calling on Aondoakaa to urgently resolve the dispute which, according to it, undermines the justice delivery sector, a sector which it said is duty bound to protect.
The association noted that it was deeply concerned at the failure of the federal and other state governments and the judiciary workers to resolve the dispute according to the ability of each federating unit.
It observed that the failure of government to reach agreement with the workers not only severely undermines the constitution as arrested and detained persons cannot be charged to court within the constitutionally stipulated period.
While reiterating its commitment to meet with the leadership of JUSUN with a view to mediating between it and the various governments of the federation through its branches, the association appealed to the workers to delay the strike action to enable it take steps.
It called on the executive committees of all its branches in state capitals of affected states to meet with state governors, Attorneys-General and Chief Judges with a view to getting the said states to implementing Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure (CONJUSS).
The NBA however commended Governors Murtala Nyako and Sule Lamido of Adamawa and Jigawa states respectively for being the first governors to implement the CONJUSS for judiciary workers in their states.
It called for independence of the judiciary in keeping with Section 121(3) of the Constitution to the effect that all monies for the judiciary should be paid to the heads of courts, a stipulation observed by the federal government but observed in breach by most state governments.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Without wanting to point out the obvious clearly it pays to have the Judiciary well paid [ paid at all ] to void any alleged claims of bribery and injustices?
If they go ahead it means that the Ibori Trial in Asaba will be affected as would also the one in London?!