Governor of Abia State Alex Otti has said the government remitted N310 million to the state chapter of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) last year to settle the members arrears of salary.
Otti announced this at a public event in the state capital, Umuahia, yesterday, insisting that the government is no longer in debt of salary arrears to the members.
“On the 24th of December, last year, we remitted N283,242,318.50 to the chapter, but unfortunately, the leaders are yet to credit the members accounts.
“Surprisingly, as of this morning, they have refused to pay the members the arrears. Now, the judiciary is an arm of government that is independent,” he said.
He said, in addition, he approved an additional N27 million for the chapter and paid the members a thirteenth-month salary, wondering why they remained on strike.
“Our job as government is to remit the money to the chapter’s account, and the job of the leaders is to pay the members,” the governor asserted.
According to him, the announcement was a sequel to a report that the state branch of the Nigerian Bar Association had appealed to him to pay the members the arrears.
The governor, therefore, advised the members to hold their leaders responsible for the delay and also for the branch to properly understand the situation.
The chapter had since last October embarked on an indefinite strike, citing exclusion from the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage, non-payment of gratuities, and other entitlements.
