Oshiomhole vs judicial workers: The comrade in own battle

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole is at crossroads following the unending strike action embarked upon by judiciary workers in the state. ISESELE EZEKIEL in Benin reports

There appears to be no end in sight to the almost seven month’s old industrial dispute between Edo State Government and members of the state Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), over refusal by Governor Adams Oshiomhole to oblige a High Court verdict granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary.

The workers had embarked on strike action following the decision of the state government to jettisoned the January 13, 2014 Abuja High Court verdict which granted financial autonomy to the judiciary and ordered the Governor, Attorney General and 73 other defendants  to release budgetary provisions and expenditure  directly  to court heads  in suit NO: FHC/ABJ/CS/1667/13.

In Edo State, the lingering power tussle and the failure of any of the parties to shift grounds has made all the process of industrial resolutions, including stakeholders meeting recently convened by eminent Edo citizens, Chief Solomon Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Rev. David Ugholor, Executive Director Africa Network For Environment and Economy Justices and His Lordship Most Rev. Dr A O Akubeze, the Anglican Bishop, Benin Diocese amongst others fruitless.

While the battle rages, the entire court building located at the famous Sapele road, Benin City has been over grown by weeds, and is now being occupied by rodents. This development has denied hundreds of persons the channel to seek justice as entrance gates to the courts premises remains shut.

However, the strike action took a new dimension following a recent threat by the state government through the Judicial Service Commission to sack the over 300 Judiciary workers who defied the order to resume work, and thereafter commenced what appeared to be a kangaroo panel to recruit applicants  to replace the striking workers , an exercise that did not only end in futility but met a stiff opposition from the workers, who wasted no time locking the court entrance gates as well as chased away the job seekers

The state Judicial Commission had in a statement by one Mr. Isaac Sanu, Secretary of the Commission, ordered all judiciary workers in the state to report for duty on 10th day of June, 2015 or faced dismissal.“Any worker who fails to report for duty as has been specified should consider himself or herself as having been dismissed from service”, the statement said.

Consequently the commission equally forged ahead and advertised for the employment of suitable and qualified candidates to fill the positions of the striking workers.

What could have amounted to blood bath was narrowly averted by men of the Nigeria Police Force whose services had since been engaged by the state government to secure the court when an Akure Industrial Court Division bailiff accompanied by the striking workers stormed the court premises in a bid to serve the enrolment order in suit No NINCN/BEN/15/2015 restraining the governor of Edo State, Oshiomhole, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Judicial Service Commission from  terminating the appointment of members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, clashed with  the applicants.

As fallout the judicial workers accused the state government of using the innocent applicants as means to settle their lingering disputes.

More so, all efforts by the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to strike an accord between the warring parties has equally suffered serious setback.

Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, Edo NLC Chairman, berated the state government over plot to resort to other preconceived means to compel the workers to end the strike. He said the organized labour had met with the state government, the Chief Judge of the state, heads of courts, and some officers of the state judicial service commission and others with a view to ending the strike action.

“We are strongly against that; two wrongs cannot make a right. Government should as matters of urgency reach an agreement with them so that they can end the strike amicably.”

Owolabi Afolabi, a legal luminary who scored the Comrade Governor high in other areas like massive roads construction in the state, however blamed the governor’s indisposition towards resolving the crisis on wrong advise adding that what the judiciary workers are simply demanding was the implementation of the federal high court verdict which will invariably help them to plan their pension and remuneration when implemented.

“May be they are not even advising the Governor well, Anambra State Government has not only equally complied but forged ahead to buy about 27 cars for the judges . What they are demanding for is to enable them plan, so that when they retire they can plan their pension rather than begging, that is the issue of autonomy, just like the legislators.

While decrying the huge amount of revenue being lost on daily basis as a result of the strike, Afolabi expressed implicit confident on the ability of the individuals that constituted the panel of stakeholders, meeting to resolved the issues as quick as possible.

On his part, the Ajero factional state NLC Chairman, Comrade Eddy Ossai prevailed on the Comrade Governor to seek amicable way of resolving the crisis rather than the present display of insensitivity to the plights and demands of the workers. He added that the entire labour force is solidly behind the workers.

Meanwhile the entrance doors to the courts remain perpetually locked with litigants, workers, judges absent despite continued threat by the state government and the state Judicial Service Commission to sack workers, who fail to resume on June 10th, the second in the series of intimidation after the initial May 18th deadline elapsed.

Hallmark gathered that the state Chief Judge, Justice Cromwell Idahosa was said to had been summoned by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mamoud Mohammed a week ago in connection with the strike action, and undue delay in sending financial returns of cases disposed off under his watch.

The leadership of the state Judicial workers has also disassociated itsself from claims that it has called off the ongoing industrial action and vowed to put on hold further discussion with the Executive Director, Africa Network For Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor because he can no longer be trusted as the workers have lost confidence in him.