Abia State Government has described as unnecessary the ultimatum given by the State branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in solidarity with the judiciary workers who have been on strike for about two months.
The duo of the DG of the Strategic Communication Bureau, Mr Onyebuchi Ememanka and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, told journalists that substantial progress has been made in resolving the ongoing strike by the Abia state chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), with most disputed issues being settled.
Ememanka explained that the issue of leave allowance, one of the grievances of the union, is embedded in the salaries of the judiciary workers.
“The only point of divergence was that before the 2025 agreement between government and JUSUN, what they were getting was five per cent as their leave bonus, but the 2025 agreement, what was agreed there was 10 per cent, which is what they are actually getting, so they are asking for arrears that were owed before the 2025 agreement. So the issue of Leave Bonus has been conclusively settled.”
On the issue of pensions to retired judiciary staff, he said the government’s position is that nobody will earn a pension unless they are verified. “As we speak, verification of retired judiciary workers has commenced,” Barr. Ememanka stated.
On the issue of financial autonomy, he said that there is substantial compliance by the government. He added that as a federation, funding for State MDAs comes from the State government in line with revenue available and strict budgetary provisions.
“The executive arm of government does not pay salaries to the judiciary staff. What happens is that every month, they will come up with their bill, and the government pays this bulk sum to them. So Chief Judge, who is the head of that arm of government, determines how these funds will be apportioned, and this is not restricted to salaries alone,” he said, noting that the Judicial Service Commission hires, promotes, pays, and retires its staff.
He said the communique issued by the Forum of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairmen in the state, on April 11,: does not reflect the current realities about the strike, adding NBA’s assumptions of being snubbed by the Governor, by not honouring its application for courtesy visit made this same April as well as the request to meet with the Attorney General that did not work were unfounded.
He argued that one month’s notice for a courtesy call is not too long to be impatient, given the governor’s busy schedule, even as the allegation of snub by the Attorney General, who was outside the state on an official assignment at the time of the request, does not stand.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ekeoma, corroborated Ememanka’s position, saying the essence of the press conference was to put the record straight and make known what the government is doing to resolve the ongoing strike by JUSUN.
