As Abia State Judiciary Workers subsist their Strike action that commenced on 15th March, 2026, the state government has vowed to pay their salary within 48 hours of their providing the government with evidence that their paid salaries which were paid , based on Consolidated Judiciary Salary Structure ( CONJUSS ) excluded their Leave Bonuses, also known as Leave Allowance.
The workers under the aegis of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria ( JUSUN ) claimed being owed Leave Allowance, and in protest, proceeded on indefinite Strike since 15 March, 2026, even against the Government stated directive to them on 13th March ( two days before the 15th March ) to provide this evidence of non payment of this Leave Allowance or Leave Bonus.
The state Attorney General/Justice Commissioner ( HAG ) Mr Ikechukwu Uwanna, a senior advocate of Nigeria ( SAN ) , who addressed journalists on the matter Thursday evening at Government House Umuahia, recalled that the state judiciary Workers were so directed to provide this evidence on 13 th March, but that instead of complying, they, on 15th March ( two days after the 13th March ), embarked on the strike that subsists till date.
The HAG spoke to the journalists in the presence of the state Commissioners for Information Prince Okey Kanu, Labour & Productivity Mr Kingsley Nwokocha, State
Accountant General (AG ) Deaconess Uju Onyemanam, and Senior Special Assistant on Labour Relations to the state governor, Comrade Godson Anucha.
HAG Uwanna disclosed that when the government, received the striking Judiciary Workers request for the Leave Allowance payment, it was discovered through the Office of the Accountant General ( AG) that part of the components of the Consolidated Salary being paid to judiciary workers, has what is called Leave Bonus, which is also the same thing as the Leave Allowance the Union requested for.
“So we asked the judiciary Workers to provide us with evidence that there is no component of leave bonus in their salary.
” The Office of the Accountant General then requested for the details and how they ( Workers ) arrived at the leave allowance, and for them to confirm that they have not earned Leave Bonuses before now, but they have not provided such details till date”.
“So we asked the judiciary to provide us with evidence that there is no component of leave bonus in their salary, because the Office of the state Accountant General, does not have information with regards to what the details of their salary are hence, their salary is handled by the Judiciary arm of Government that JUSUN belongs to.
HAG further disclosed that what government received from the workers on the 13th of March was a notice that the government should either pay them or they will proceed on industrial action by midnight on the 15th of March,”.
The HAG further explained that the Consolidated Salary contains everything emolument of the worker, adding that the JUSUN was requested to provide evidence that its salary does not contain “Leave Bonus”, and assured them that once the Union makes available the document and government confirms it to be true, they (Judiciary Workers ) would be paid within 48 hours.
HAG argued , Consolidated Salary is called Consolidated because everything is consolidated into one and paid in different installments.
“Sometimes we also look at what happens in other states. Our finding is that the Federal government does not pay for leave allowance to JUSUN members in the nation.
“Just like federal government does not pay leave allowance to, for instance, medical doctors or health workers in the federal civil service because of the Consolidated Scheme.
“The state government will pay within 48 hours if it realises that there is no leave allowance or leave bonus as a component of their consolidated salary,” HAG Uwanna maintained.
HAG also addressed the issue of Verification of the Judiciary staff, reporting that the efforts to get them verified have continuously been frustrated by of the state JUSUN, and that their refusal to submit themselves to staff verification, accounts for non payment of Pensions to the staff of the Judiciary prior to their retirement.
HAG recalled ” His Excellency, governor Alex Otti, after he was sworn into office in 2023, commenced a verification exercise for all civil servants.
“And in view of the fact that we understand that the judiciary is independent, the judiciary staff were not verified when every other staff outside the Judiciary, was verified.
“We then engaged the judiciary for the purpose of getting a consultant that will conduct a verification exercise for the judiciary.
“Indeed, on the 15th March, the same day that they went on strike, was the day that was finally slated for the commencement of the verification exercise.
“One therefore wonders, if this was this a coincidence or a well-orchestrated scheme to continue to earn salaries by ghost workers and persons who have questionable credentials?
“JUSUN is aware that His Excellency, governor Otti, is one who is always ready and able to pay workers their entitlements, and he has made that claim by paying every other civil servant,”
HAG consequently lamented that the alleged Judiciary Workers refusal to be verified has affected payment of pensioners who retired from the Judiciary. Hence he called on
the JUSUN leaders to call off the strike to enable the pensioners of Judiciary extraction get verified and begin to receive their pension.
“JUSUN should allow the Judiciary to verify its staff so that those pensioners can be paid. We have had a lot of engagement which time will fail me to explain the process that we have gone through to ensure that there’s proper verification, so that they can come into a system.
“They’re not going to come into executive system. They are going to come into their own electronic platform.
“I would therefore implore them, once again, not to continue to suffer these pensioners. We are all citizens of this state, and the pensioners are entitled to their payment.
“So let them call off the strike, so that this verification exercise can be done, and these pensioners can start earning what is due them” HAG Uwanna re- emphasized
Speaking , the state Accountant General ( Deaconess Njum Onyemanam ) reassured the state government commitment to effecting payments of staff and pensioners on or before the 28th of every month and stressed the need for the Judiciary to submit its documents to enable the release of the funds accordingly.
“The only question that we are asking the judiciary staff today is to provide verifiable proof that they have earned leave allowances that were not paid them over the period.
According to her ( Accountant General ), ” for the judiciary, they need to provide and submit their documentation, and go through the payment process to be able to get their lump sum.
“The Accountant General does not handle the Payroll of the judiciary. The judiciary handles its Payroll. And when they come up to make their demands, raise their payment vouchers, and their payment vouchers go through the process of payment, that is the only time the Accountant General has the legal right to make that pay,” AG Onyemanam explained.
Recently, the Secretary to the state JUSUN, Pastor Chibueze Nwachukwu told The Guardian that beside demanding payment for their Leave allowance, they are demanding full implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary full harmonization of the judiciary workers’ basic salary structure with that of other public servants in the state.
Stressing the importance of harmonizing judiciary workers salary with those of others in the state public service, the state JUSUN Secretary ( Pastor Nwachukwu ), argued that most government workers benefits and allowances are calculated based on workers’ basic salaries hence they ought to be the same/ uniform.
He however clarified that their outstanding leave allowances were not solely incurred under the current Governor Alex Otti, administration who assumed office in 2023, but dates back to the administrations of former governors Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu.
REPORTED BY GORDI UDEAJAH
