THE strike embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in Ondo State has crippled the state courts.
The indefinite strike, which commenced on Friday, June 13, has stopped judges, lawyers, and litigants from accessing the courts’ premises.
Media reports showed that the Akure Division of the State High Court complex and Magistrates’ Court had their gates locked, effectively shutting down all activities within the premises.
The JUSUN chairman, Ondo State chapter, Oluwafemi Afolabi, who spoke on the strike, confirmed the industrial action and added that the decision followed the end of the seven-day ultimatum given to the state government last week.
He said he had directed all members to shun work starting today, June 13, and to adhere strictly to the industrial action guidelines.
He added that the decision to cripple activities in “all courts across the 18 local government areas of the state” was over the failure of the state government to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) granting financial autonomy to the state judiciary.
Judiciary workers in the state had given Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa a seven-day ultimatum last Wednesday to implement the MOU on financial autonomy for the judiciary or face a strike.
The ultimatum was announced in a statement by Afolabi and the JUSUN Secretary, Kehinde Alade.
The union said it observed with regret the state government’s failure to implement the MOU.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Kayode Ajulo, a senior advocate, has yet to react to the strike.
Recall that in 2021, judicial workers in the state joined a nationwide strike declared by JUSUN’s national leadership.
The union declared the strike to protest the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.
A reporter with the ICIR
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