The Abia State Government has expressed strong disapproval over the recent threat by the Nigerian Bar Association’s forum of chairmen in the state, who vowed to mobilize lawyers for a public demonstration if the ongoing strike by judiciary workers is not resolved.
According to the government, the NBA chairmen’s claims that their attempts to meet with Governor Alex Otti and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, were ignored are baseless and not reflective of the current state of negotiations.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Umuahia, the Director General of the Strategic Communication Bureau, Onyebuchi Ememanka, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, clarified that the government has made significant progress in addressing the issues raised by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria.
They noted that the misunderstanding over leave allowance, which was one of the key issues, has been resolved after it was discovered that the government’s position—that consolidated salaries already include a leave component—was correct.
Regarding financial autonomy for the judiciary, Ememanka stated that the state has substantially complied, with the Chief Judge having the authority to determine fund allocation for the judiciary branch.
He further explained that matters of employment, promotion, payment, and retirement of judiciary workers are handled by the Abia State Judiciary Service Commission, not the executive arm.
The government also denied allegations that Governor Otti and the Attorney-General snubbed a scheduled courtesy visit by the NBA chairmen, calling the claim false and misleading.