Published 6 May 2021
The Federal Government has expressed optimism that the strike of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria would end soon.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, expressed this belief while addressing newsmen at the end of a conciliation meeting between the government negotiating team, and the two unions on Thursday in Abuja.
Ngige said the government had made offers to the two unions, and their representatives would consult with their various National Executive Committees, and revert back.
The minister said a lot of work went into the government’s proposal to the two unions, which substantially addressed their demands for judicial and legislative autonomy.
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Yunusa Agali and nine others have been detained by the police in Abuja since their arrest for burglary and theft on March 26 and 27.
The 10 of them have now spent over a month in a notorious detention facility, commonly referred to as ‘Human Abattoir’ which was used by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other police tactical units.
The police have refused to grant them administrative bail, saying the offence is not bailable.
The police were supposed to promptly prefer charges against them and arraign them before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Nigerian Constitution provides that no suspect can be held in custody for more than 48 hours for any reason. Suspects should either be released on bail or arraigned in court within the stipulated period.
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
There seems to be no end in sight for the industrial action by the judiciary and legislative workers pressing for the full implementation of financial autonomy for the two arms of government in states as they have vowed not to compromise on their demands for the implementation of the 1999 Constitution as altered.
The workers, who have been on strike for about one month, said yesterday at a meeting with a federal government team, led by Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, that the issue of financial autonomy for state legislatures and judiciaries was the constitutional provision that did not warrant any negotiation with governors.
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on April 6, is to protest the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary.
President Muhammadu had in May 2020 signed an executive order granting financial autonomy to both the judiciary and legislative arms of government.
The president’s decision was met with commendation, especially from the judiciary but state governors expressed concerns over its constitutionality and financial implications.
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gazetting of the order was, however, suspended after the president met with the governors.
Although the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has promised to implement financial autonomy in May 2021, the leadership of JUSUN says the strike will not be suspended until their demands are met.
Microsoft disclosed in a statement saying:
“Six regions in the country have been earmarked for the development of high-speed internet infrastructure. Microsoft’s Airband team will work closely with local partners to improve broadband connectivity in these communities while also assisting with the design and implementation of hyper-scale cloud services.”
The FG stated that Microsoft’s AirBand Tech has enabled rural and underserved communities gain access to high-speed internet connectivity, tapping into the unused broadcasting frequencies of television white spaces. The technology is also cheaper and faster to deploy than fibre and is coming at a time when telecoms have been the brightest spot of Nigeria’s economy in a period of declining growth.