In compliance with the nationwide strike embarked on by judiciary workers under the aegis of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, all High and Magistrates Courts in Rivers State were shut on Tuesday.
JUSUN declared an indefinite nationwide strike to press home their demand for the financial autonomy of the judiciary.
Our correspondent who monitored developments, reports that JUSUN members locked out staff members, litigants and their lawyers from the Chief Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State high Court, Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and National Industrial Court.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 22, 2020, signed into law an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states of the federation.
Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets.
The order also mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state, for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.
JUSUN on April 3 issued a circular ordering the closure of courts across the country from April 6, as a measure to ensure implementation of the order.
