States shouldn’t be compelled to pay uniform wages — Ugwuanyi

Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, yesterday said it was wrong to compel the various state governments to implement a uniform salary structure despite differences in their financial capacity.

Ugwuanyi made his feelings known at a parley with leaders of the state judiciary led by the state chief judge, Justice Innocent Umezuluike.

Enugu State judiciary workers had downed tools since April in a bid to force the state government to comply with an Abuja Federal High Court judgment, which ordered the federal and state governments to comply with constitutional provisions on the independence and financial autonomy of the judiciary.

Although he noted that his administration is going to take immediate steps to resolve the dispute with the state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, the governor frowned at what he described as “a situation where, in a federation like Nigeria, one of the units would be forced to pay workers’ emoluments beyond its financial capabilities.”

“What puzzles me is how we can run a federation in which the independent federating units are compelled to pay the same wages notwithstanding their revenue differentials,” Ugwuanyi added.

The governor also expressed reservations at imbalances in appointments in the state judiciary.

According to him, the appointments contravene the provisions of section 14 (4) of the 1999 constitution, as some sections of the state were not represented in the judicial service, while others have a comparatively larger number of representatives.

“My lords, I have studied the recruitment of all cadres of staff in the Enugu State judiciary and urge that future appointments should comply with section 14 (4) of the Nigerian constitution.

“I know, for instance, that since Justice Stanley Nnaji was dismissed from the judiciary ten years ago, there is no judge from Isi-Uzo Local Government Area.

“I know that since Hon. Justice C. C. Nweze, JSC, left the state judiciary in 2007, there is no judge from Udenu Local Government Area.

“I know that Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area has only one judge, while since Hon. Justice Agbata retired, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area has no judge in the state judiciary.