The crisis between the Kogi state government and the judiciary arm worsened on Saturday as the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in the State warned the executive not to drag the legislative arm into their industrial dispute.
The union also stated that the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Folasade Ayoade, was wrong to have petitioned the house of assembly over the matter relating to the non-payment of salary.
According to a statement by the state chairman of the union, Comrade Emmanuel Waniko, the SSG ought to have known that the principle of separation of power among arms of government was against her action.
He said the recent petition by the SSG to the assembly against the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Nasir Ajanah, and the Chief Registrar, Yahaya Adamu, was diversionary and shadow-chasing.
The JUSUN chairman expanded that the current crisis rocking the state judiciary was as a result of the non-payment of the workers’ salary for five months as a result of the failure of the executive to release the subvention of the judiciary.
The union, however, restated its rejection of the table payment arrangement put in place by the executive for the purpose of payment of salary.
The statement read, “The attention of the leadership of JUSUN in Kogi state has been drawn to the petition by the Secretary to the govt of Kogi state, Mrs Folashade Ayoade, to the Kogi State House of Assembly upon which the later set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the Chief Judge and our Chief Registrar.
“It must first be mentioned that this is an attempt by the executive arm of the state to draw the legislative arm into an industrial matter with a suspected ulterior motive to denigrate the temple of justice.
Secondly, we expect the SSG to be knowledgeable enough to know the principle of separation of powers between the three arms of government.
“So on the matter of pay parade or table payment, we wish to reiterate again that JUSUN would not fold its arms when an obvious attempt is being made to usurp the powers of the Judicial Service Commission through any disguise.
“It is interesting to note that this development is coming up when parliamentary workers all over the country, including those of Kogi State, are celebrating President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent ascent to the financial autonomy of the judiciary and the legislature.
“JUSUN’s grouse with her government is the payment of our accumulated arrears of salary due to lack of the release of Kogi judiciary’s subvention for almost six months.
“Staff salaries are paid from this subvention and efforts to prevail on us by the leadership of the judiciary to shelve our planned industrial action failed this time around after we have considered the sufferings of our members, so drawing the CJ and CR into the matter is, to say the least, diversionary and shadow-chasing.
“JUSUN is conversant with the recent unpalatable experience and hardship suffered by Kogi state civil servants under the disguise of screening and the so-called table payment is a continuation of the unending exercise. The SSG should, therefore, check the records and be informed that since the edict of 1993, the judiciary has never been party to any screening conducted in the state as the JSC has the power to hire, promote or discipline any staff found wanting.”
The union, however, said instead of chasing shadow, the state assembly should tell the executive to pay the subvention of the judiciary to enable it to pay the staff salaries.
Credit: Tribune
