Following a 14-week closure prompted by an industrial action led by court workers affiliated with the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, courts in Osun State reopened on Wednesday.
The strike, declared indefinitely by the Osun JUSUN leadership on November 22, 2023, ensued after the police tear-gassed protesters on the premises of the Osun State High Court in Osogbo, preventing them from mobbing the Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo, whom they accused of abuse of office and withholding wardrobe allowances.
As court workers picketed amid government efforts to oust the CJ, the national JUSUN leadership condemned the strike, citing it as an inappropriate means of settling political scores.
On Wednesday, observed cleaning activities at the state high court in Osogbo signaled preparations for full work resumption the following Monday.
Saheed Salaam, Secretary of the Osun JUSUN Caretaker Committee, expressed workers' eagerness to return to duty, confirming a full resumption on Monday, with current activities focused on office cleanliness.
He affirmed, “We have resumed today (Wednesday). Workers were at their various offices, including myself. I was in the office till past 4 pm. People have started cleaning offices and doing some skeletal work ahead of full resumption on Monday."
The decision to suspend the over three-month industrial action was conveyed in a letter dated March 4, 2024, addressed to Saheed, the caretaker Committee Secretary of Osun JUSUN, and signed by the acting General Secretary of the union, M. Akwashiki.
The decision to suspend the strike was based on the Memorandum of Agreement signed between JUSUN officials, the Osun State Attorney General, and the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice, Osun State, aiming to resolve the contentious issues.
The letter emphasized, “The decision was hinged on the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the JUSUN President, Honorable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Osun State, and Honorable Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Osun State on the issues in contention.
“Therefore, suspending the action would allow for the Chief Judge of Osun State and Chairman, Judicial Service Commission to summon the JSC meeting to finalize other issues that have to do with staff regularization.”
