By Imelda Osayande
The Edo Judiciary says it has suspended regular Mondays’ court sittings in the state, in solidarity with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria’s (JUSUN) ongoing nationwide industrial action.
The Chief Registrar, Mr Benson Osawaru, said this in a statement tagged `Solidarity with the JUSUN’ on Wednesday in Benin.
“This is to notify the general public that we are in solidarity with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) strike.
“As the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Edo Branch has advised its members to boycott court on Mondays till further notice.
“Consequently upon that, sitting of court in Edo State Judiciary on Mondays is hereby suspended for now,” he said.
NAN recalls that the JUSUN had embarked on a nationwide strike on April 6, to protest what it termed ‘subjugating and emasculating of the judiciary and years of financial strangulation’.
The industrial action was also to push for the implementation of financial autonomy in the judiciary in all the 36 states and FCT.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on April 19, across the country joined the striking JUSUN in solidarity to push for financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The Chairman of the Benin Branch of NBA, Pius Oiwoh, had earlier said that the NBA wanted to ensure that the provision of section 121, subsection 53 of the1999 constitution as amended comes to fruition.
However, Edo Chapter of JUSUN had shunned the strike called by the national body citing a “no work, no pay” policy that cost them their salaries in 2015.
The JUSUN Chairman, Edo State, Mr Uyi Ogieriakhi, explained that in 2015, when the Edo chapter joined the same strike, members were not paid their salaries by the state government.
Ogieriakhi said that the state government under Adams Oshiomhole refused to pay them the six months period of the strike, including the one month he was owing them before the strike.