As courts in Osun State remain under lock and keys for about three months, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke has lamented the paralysis of the state judiciary and called for amicable resolution of the ongoing strike action by the Osun State Chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria.
Expressing unhappiness about the hold up in the justice administration due to the industrial action, Adeleke said he had made efforts to resolve the crisis but his interventions were yet to bear the desired fruits.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed on Wednesday, disclosed that Adeleke made this known while hosting a delegation of the national leadership of the judicial union led by its President, Marwan Mustapha Adamu.
Governor Adeleke narrated his interventions to resolve the strike to include the payments of the withheld salaries of some judicial workers and negotiations with the union on their wardrobe allowances.
Describing the dispute as purely a judicial matter, Governor Adeleke said the subject matter of the industrial action has nothing to do with the executive arm of government, stressing that his intervention was to avoid further delay in the state’s justice administration system.
“I thank you for visiting Osun State. We value your interventions. I have tried to address some of the issues, but most of them are not within my purview. Your presence in Osun will speed up the resolution efforts.
“As the national body, help us interface with all the parties to find amicable resolutions. You have my full support for this assignment,” the governor was quoted as telling the team.
Responding, the JUSUN national president described the industrial action and the protracted paralysis of the Osun judiciary as ‘unfortunate’, citing his previous ailment as responsible for his late intervention.
“We are in Osun state to find a lasting solution. I will meet all stakeholders, and I assure Mr Governor that industrial peace would soon be restored to the state judiciary,” the national president who was accompanied by his national officers stated.
