Court workers in Abuja began a strike on Monday, June 2, shutting down the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, despite earlier announcements that they would not join the action.
When our reporter visited the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday morning, the gates were locked. Lawyers, court staff, and people with court cases were all stranded outside.
The same thing happened at the Court of Appeal headquarters in the city.
This shutdown comes after the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria ordered its federal branches to begin a strike from midnight on Sunday, June 1.
In a statement signed by its Acting General Secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, JUSUN said the strike was due to failed talks with the Minister of Labour and Employment.
The workers are demanding payment of a five-month wage award, the full implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, and a 25 to 35 per cent salary increase.
However, just a day earlier, on Sunday, the JUSUN chapter of the National Judicial Council had said that the Supreme Court, NJC, and Federal High Court would not take part in the strike.
Mr Joel Ebiloma, the union’s Public Relations Officer, said in the statement that the decision was made after the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, stepped in.
He explained that the Chief Justice had asked for two more weeks to allow the government to meet the workers’ demands.
“The NJC, Supreme Court of Nigeria, and Federal High Court have decided not to join the strike for now. A two-week grace period has been given to the authorities to respond to our demands,” the statement read.
Despite this, court buildings were locked on Monday, surprising many lawyers and visitors who expected the courts to be open.
A lawyer who came to the Federal High Court said, “We heard yesterday that the court would open, but today we are standing outside the gate. It’s very confusing.”
The strike has already caused delays in several ongoing court cases and may lead to more setbacks in the coming days if the issues are not resolved.
