Courts in the country are being shut down by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to enforce a nationwide strike it embarked upon today over their agitation for financial autonomy for the nation’s judiciary.
Members of the union enforcing the indefinite strike, stormed the Federal High Court, Ikoyi at before 9am on Tuesday to evict court staff who already in their offices.
The unionists arrived the court premises before 9am and directed their colleagues in courtrooms and offices to comply with the industrial action. They also sealed some of the offices and pasted notices indicating commencement of the court shutdown.
The JUSUN national leadership had in an April 1 circular ordered closure of courts from Tuesday until the government complies with the Constitution, court judgments and other instruments, which confer or re-emphasise the financial autonomy of the Judiucary.
Signed by its General Secretary, I. M. Adetola, the circular directed all states and zonal heads of the union to comply with the strike.
According to JUSUN, at its last National Executive Meeting on March 13, 2021 in Abuja, it issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government to implement the financial autonomy of the judiciary. The union also threatened that “failure of which JUSUN will have no other option but to resume the suspended national strike action.
“Therefore, as a result of the public holiday on April 5, 2021, the strike action has been postponed to Tuesday, April 6, 2021.”
