Governor Amaechi stops salaries of Judicial workers over appointment of CJ

The crisis rocking the Judiciary in Rivers State over the appointment of the State Chief Judge has taken a new toll.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday halted payment of salaries to judiciary workers.

In a letter dated June 5, 2014 and jointly signed by Ngozi Y. Abu (Accountant-General of Rivers State and Dagogo R. Abere (Director, Treasury, Office of the Accountant-General), the Rivers State Government

instructed the General Manager, Zenith Bank Plc, Plot 1/2, Presidential Estate, Aba Road Port Harcourt to stop the payment of the May salaries and allowances of judiciary workers until further notice.

 The letter stated: “Sequel to the directive of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, we write to request your bank to stop May 2014 salaries of all staff of Rivers State Judiciary till further notice, warning: “Strict compliance in this respect is solicited”.

By this development, all the judiciary workers who have vowed to comply with the directive of the NJC will remain without their salaries and allowances.

Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, had earlier in the week confirmed that it has received a directive from the Rivers State Government asking its workers not to take orders from Justice Daisy Okocha, the nominee of the National Judicial council, NJC.

Chairman of the union who spoke with judiciary correspondents off record said the principal officers of the Rivers State Judiciary had closed door meeting with the Judiciary staff union at the new High Court building.

He said the outcome of the meeting will be revealed when it is over.

 However, fillers at the meeting said members of the union were in a dilemma.

It could be recalled that the Rivers State government through the office of the Attorney General of the state had threatened to sack any judiciary staff who takes orders from Justice Daisy Okocha.