Organised Labour Strike: Total Compliance As Lagos Courts, Court Of Appeal Are Shut Down 

Kemisola Oye 

IN compliance with the strike action called by the organised labour including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), all gates leading to Lagos High Court Ikeja and Igbosere divisions as well as Ogba Magistrate Court were this morning put under lock and key. 

Eighteen-Eleven Media correspondent gathered that the industrial action also affected other divisions of the Lagos courts including those at Epe, Badagry, Yaba as well as the court sitting at Osborne, Ikoyi.

The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi Lagos was equally under lock and key. But the Lagos Division of the court opened and some of the courts had begun sitting before proceedings were abruptly stopped. 

Officials of organised labour approached the judiciary workers of the appellate court and demanded total compliance with the strike action and at 11:20 in the morning, litigants, lawyers and workers left the premises. The gates were subsequently shut by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

At Ikeja, lawyers and litigants were prevented from gaining access to the court premises. The strike enforcers urged those who tried to gain entry into the court premises to please comply with the order as the courts were being shut down in strict compliance with the JUSUN order.

JUSUN had in a statement on 1st June 2024 notified its members of its decision to be part of the nationwide strike due to the inconclusive negotiations on the new minimum wage.

The statement signed by the acting General Secretary of JUSUN, Comrade M.J. Akwashiki, said the strike action would start at midnight on Sunday and that all branches of the union were expected to ensure strict compliance with the directive.

The statement read: “All vice presidents of our great unions are to monitor their respective zones to ensure compliance with the total shutdown of all courts and judicial institutes across Nigeria.

“The nationwide strike is to ensure the government agrees on a new national minimum wage and subsequently passes it into law before the end of this month as they were notified.

“Reverse the hike in electricity tariff without consulting the stakeholders as required by the law to N225/kwh back to N66/kWh. Stop the apartheid categorization of Nigerian electricity consumers into brands.”

Meanwhile, the strike affected the further trial of Chrisland School, Opebi and its staff over the allegation of negligence in the death of its student, Whitney Adeniran during an Inter-house sports competition that was held at the Agege Stadium, Lagos State.

The Lagos State government has filed criminal charges against Chrisland School Limited, Opebi and its principal, vice principal and two others for the death of Whitney on 31 March 2023.

Eighteen-Eleven Media