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Nigerian Courts To Remain Closed Till Further Notice

Olusola Bello

Courts across the country will remain under lock and Key until perhaps next week as the meeting between Federal Government and judiciary workers ended with no tangible result.

Consequently, it was postponed till next week.

The Judiciary workers who have been clamouring for financial autonomy for the Judiciary have been on strike since April.

The Federal Government has said the appropriate laws for judiciary autonomy have been signed into law and that implementation lies with state governments.

Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, at Thursday’s meeting, reiterated that the Federal Government has no problem with the issue of financial autonomy for the judiciary. He maintained that it is an issue that concerns states and their finances.

He however, stated  that substantial progress has been  made during the series of meetings the government has held since the strike was declared., stating further that  90 percent of all requirements have been met and that the remaining 10 percent need to be addressed after the reopening of the courts.

He appealed to the workers to suspend their strike, so that all the procedures can be operationalised.

He also said that the closure of courts is an impediment for security agencies, who cannot charge suspects of crimes such as kidnapping and banditry to court.

Marwan Adamu, President of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), in his remarks, said the meeting wouldn’t have been necessary if the position of the law and constitution had been adhered to.

He said the workers were not attempting to negotiate the constitution but to ensure compliance with its provisions on financial autonomy for the judiciary.

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