…As govt fails to meet welfare, other demands
By Yahaya Umar, Abuja
Magistrates Association of Nigeria, MAN, Cross River State chapter, yesterday, declared two weeks warning strike after a November 22 ultimatum given to the state government to address its demands expired.
MAN had earlier threatened to withdraw their services effective from November 13 but extended it till November 22.
The association in communiqué dated November 5, 2024, listed some demands and called on the Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, to attend to their demand which includes stagnation in service, inadequate welfare package among other issues.
Giving rational for the strike MAN states that “sequel to our communique issued on November 5, 2024 arising from the general meeting wherein 8 demands were made from Government of Cross River State. Furthermore, sequel to our letter to the Governor of Cross River State dated November 11, 2024, wherein the NOTICE OF STRIKE, was extended to Friday, November,! 2024 to enable the State Government to attend to our demands, and having failed to do so till date, we hereby issue this bulletin.
The document signed by Godwin Onah and Solomon Abuo (President and Secretary) respectively, entitled Bulletin No. 1: Warning Strike made available to AljazirahNigeria added that “in line therefore with our congress resolution to proceed on a warning strike, TWO WEEKS WARNING STRIKE is hereby declared by the state chapter of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Cross River State Chapter, in the first instance effective from 6am of Wednesday, 27th November 2024 to Wednesday, 11th December, 2024. And failure of the State Government to meet our demands, an indefinite strike shall be embarked upon until all our demands are fully met”.
In this vein, “all Magistrates across the state are to ensure effective compliance by all staff of their Courts. SOLIDARITY FOREVER!”
AljazirahNigeria reports that this is not the first occasion that magistrates in the state have had to resort to drastic measures to attract the attention of the state government. In January 2021, an unusual protest occurred in Cross River State on a Monday morning as magistrates, distressed by the non-payment of their salaries for two years, demonstrated with placards outside the Governor’s office in Calabar.
Source within the association maintained that members are not happy that despite their magnanimity the state government “appear unconcerned” to address the majistrates denands.
The association expressed displeasure over ₦15,000 monthly allowance given to magistrates in the state compared with their colleagues in their states, who received between ₦200,000 and ₦250,000 monthly.
The Magistrates demands include the rehabilitation of magistrate courts across the state and no provision of official vehicles to its members.as well as pay yearly robing allowances to its members as applicable nationwide.
According to the association “To protect the welfare of members, uphold minimum standards and sanctity of the magistrates in the state, we need immediate action on our demands.
“Magistrates are seen daily on public or commercial vehicles, most times alongside litigants and criminal suspects standing trial before them, this is a security risk to their lives’’.
