Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, has finally opened up on the ongoing face-off between the executive and the judiciary in the state.
Bello, while addressing lawmakers in the Kogi State House of Assembly during his budget presentation on Monday, said the needless injury and suffering of civil servant who work in the judiciary was foisted by the Judiciary arm.
The governor recall that, the Judiciary refused to participate in the government Pay Parade cum table payment, citing notions of independence and autonomy.
According to him, the genuine civil servants in the judiciary were being forced to boycott their own salaries and pensions while the money for their several months sits in the bank.
“Members may wish to recall that following collective agreement signed with organized labour on the disbursement of the last tranche of Paris Refunds, we embarked on pay parade cum table payment as the most transparent methodology for making sure that money reaches only genuine and actual civil servants in the form of salaries and pension.
“The Judiciary refused to participate citing notions of independence and autonomy, which are at best dodgy in law and at worst extremely legalistic and were supported by the Judiciary service union of Nigeria which has proceeded on an indefinite strike.
“The efforts of this house to broker a middle ground was stopped in its tracks by an ex parte injunction curiously obtained while the court strike were on strike, and at a time when no one else could transact any business in the various court registries because of the strike.
“I pray Mr. Speaker and the honourable house to take notice of this of these curious events, to ask the right questions, especially why the payrolls of the Kogi State Judiciary seem to be a document for the eyes of only some senior initiates alone”.
He urged the house to quickly resolve the impasse between the executive and judiciary so that, genuine civil servants who worked hard for their money can do the needful to receive it.
Credit: Daily Post
