Governors of the 36 states of the federation under the platform of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) have appealed to striking Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to call off their strike in the interest of the nation.
The union had on April 6 embarked on a nationwide strike to protest non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary. It directed its members across the federation to shut down all courts after the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum it issued to government to implement the financial autonomy of the judiciary.
The governors were accused of frustrating the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary, starving the judiciary of funds and treating judges as their staff.
However, Deputy Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, said governors were fully in support of financial autonomy for the legislature and judiciary at the state level, but would want its implementation to follow the provisions of the constitution.
The governor in an interview with the State House Correspondents after leading members of the technical committee on the implementation of the autonomy for state legislature and judiciary to a meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, appealed to members of JUSUN to call off their strike.
“We’re appealing to them in the interest of this country, they should call off the strike,” he said.
According to him, the governors will meet next Monday to consider the final report of the technical committee because of the urgency of the issues raised.
On why President Muhammadu Buhari had to set up the implementation committee when the governors were not opposed to the financial autonomy for legislature and judiciary, he said he was not in any position to query the wisdom of the President on the matter.
By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
The Sun