The continuous lock down of Federal Courts (which include the Court of Appeal of Nigeria, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria and other Courts with Federal jurisdiction) including courts of the Federal Capital Territory- Abuja by the Judiciary Staff Union (JUSUN) has become a great surprise to me to continue to lock down Federal Courts to fight for autonomy of States’ Courts! Much more desired the surprise has been is the fact that locking down Federal Courts by the JUSUN is in violation of ‘Federalism’ since the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, has already shared the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts and the Courts of the States! JUSUN is therefore in my humble view, using unlawful means to achieve lawful desire/goal! That attitude of JUSUN in my humble view as argued by this paper is a call to anarchy and lawlessness by JUSUN, which we must all join hands to restrain JUSUN from if democracy and Federalism must prevail in Nigeria! There are other members of JUSUN whose joy has been that JUSUN has embarked on the strike action so that they could enjoy themselves or travel around or using the opportunity of the strike to attend to their personal affairs since they are being out-of-work, at least, they would be paid their salaries and allowances at the end of the month despite having not worked for what they are being paid for in such month! This attitude of some of the JUSUN’s members in my humble view, is a show of selfishness and laziness to their official duties as these people would always try their best to prevail on JUSUN not to suspend the illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional strike actionagainst Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! This paper is condemning this continuous lockdown of Federal Courts by JUSUN and it calls on all lawyers in private practice and the general public especially at the Federal Level and the FCT-Abuja, to restrain JUSUN from its illegality and unlawfulness cum unconstitutionalismcontinuously being perpetrated against the Federal Courts and Courts of the FCT-Abuja including those in other States that have complied with the autonomy of the judiciary by JUSUN! More so, injustice to one, is an injustice to all! We must all join hands to stop JUSUN from manipulating private lawyers and members of the public in order to set free the Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary from JUSUN’s unconstitutional act!
The truth be told! JUSUN has continued to turn itself to a monster against the Federal Courts and the courts of the FCT-Abuja, despite all appeals to it to suspend its strike action against Federal Courts and Courts of the FCT- Abuja, it has refused, remained recalcitrant and unbending in its resolve to continue the strike action all in the name of illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional ‘solidarity’! This attitude of JUSUN in my humble view is unacceptable more so that it is against Federalism! JUSUN should rather face those Governors or States of the Federation that have refused and or failed and or neglected to comply with the autonomy mantra rather than gather its forces against those innocent States and the Federal Courts as well as courts of the FCT-Abuja that have indeed complied with granting autonomy to the judiciary!
I have also observed some lawyers with due respect to them, who have continued to place themselves behind JUSUN as its back bone and donating courage to the Association! How long would some of these lawyers continue to pretend and deceive the public and JUSUN?! Are they truly in support of JUSUN or indirectly applying to be engaged in their legal services by JUSUN?! Only God would judge the intention of all! Some if not many lawyers benefit when things are not working! JUSUN should rather be wary of such lawyers who would mislead the Association for selfish purposes!
Furthermore, it remains the truth that there is no justification for JUSUN’s continuous lock down of Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! JUSUN must respect the democratic principles of Federalism and reverse and or suspend its strike action with immediate effect against the Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! I must be assertive that I am not appealing to JUSUN to suspend its strike action, rather, it is a matter of law which requires no appeal for JUSUN to halt its strike action against Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary!
Lawyers in litigation and litigants have continued to suffer innocently for the JUSUN’s unlawful and or misapplication of the strike action against those Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! JUSUN has remained adamant and unyielding to the yearnings that it should suspend the strike action against Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! The government as well as the general public must also rise up to restrain JUSUN from its continued illegality and unlawfulness as well as its un-constitutionalism against Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary! JUSUN must understand that it is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional for it to continue to fight for the compliance with a certain provision of the Constitution of Nigeria while at the same time, it commits unconstitutional acts in the pursuit of its desired goal, such act itself is worse than its agitation for autonomy of the judiciary because it aims at destroying the tenets and principles of Federalism enshrined and or propounded by democracy, if JUSUN must reason!
Finally, may God Almighty forgive JUSUN for this illegality and unwarranted punishment that it has and is making Federal Courts, Courts of FCT-Abuja and Courts of States that have complied with the autonomy for the judiciary to continue to experience! I hope a word (such as that conveyed by this paper) would be enough for the wise (such as JUSUN in this circumstance)!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Email: hameed_ajibola@yahoo.com
