Abia State government has faulted the threat by forum of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Chairmen in the State to mobilize lawyers for a demonstration if the ongoing strike by judiciary workers in the State is not resolved.
NBA Chairmen had alleged that their plans to meet with Governor Alex Otti and the State’s Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, about resolving the judiciary workers’ strike were snubbed by the State government, among other claims.
But reacting to the development, Abia State Government said it had made substantial progress in resolving the JUSUN strike, noting that most of the disputed issues with the judiciary union’s leadership in the State had been settled.
The Director General, Strategic Communication Bureau, of the Abia state government, Onyebuchi Ememanka and the Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, stated this on Thursday in Umuahia.
The government said that the NBA was not working with the current information about the progress of negotiations.
“One of the cardinal issues that led to this strike was the issue of Leave Allowance.
“Our position as a government was that all workers who earn consolidated salaries have a component of leave built into their salaries and in the course of these negotiations, it was discovered by JUSUN themselves that our position had been correct all along”, he said.
On the issue of financial autonomy being demanded by JUSUN members, Ememanka said that there is substantial compliance to financial autonomy in the State, as according to him, the Chief Judge who is the head of that arm of government, determines how funds will be apportioned.
The State government explained that employment, promotion, payment and retirement of judiciary workers are not carried out by the executive arm of Abia State as there is Abia State Judiciary Service Commission.
Ememanka also denied the NBA Chairmen’s allegation that Governor Otti and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uwanna, snubbed a courtesy visit they had requested.