Non-Payment of Salaries of Judiciary Staff In Kogi State: The True State Of Affairs

I watched a very popular programme titled ‘Journalist Hangout’ on TVC, a respected Television News Station on DSTV on 15th April, 2019. The topic of discussion on the programme was the non-payment of salaries to Judiciary Staff in Kogi State and the alleged attempt by the Executive to remove the Chief Judge of the State. 

Discussants on the programme stated amongst other things that the non-payment of staff in the Judiciary in Kogi State started in June, 2018 when the Chief Judge of Kogi State granted bail to Senator Dino Melaye in a criminal case before him, against the alleged wishes of the Governor of Kogi State.

It was argued and concluded on the programme that if Kogi State Civil Servants working in the Judiciary are asked by the Executive to collect a few months’ salary via cheques, it offends the doctrines of the independence of the judiciary and separation of powers!

Apart from the discussion on this programme, a lot of wild stories regarding the Kogi State Judiciary and the alleged role of the Executive in the crisis into which the Judiciary plunged itself in the State have also been circulating on social media platforms. It is against this backdrop that I try to address the apparent misinformation and maybe lack of information on this matter.

When the Government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello came into office on the 27th day of January, 2016, it identified 5 thematic areas for special focus. One of them was Public Service and Pension Reforms. The Public Service and Pension reforms began with a screening exercise which though arduous has been hailed as successful in exposing waste, corruption (Ghost Worker Syndrome), Certificate forgery and inefficiency in the Kogi State Public Service. While Staff in the Executive and Legislative arms participated in the Screening exercise, the Governor upon assurances by the Chief Judge that the Judiciary regularly carry out its internal screening, excluded it from the screening exercise. This is verifiable.

The administration has not only steered clear of the Judiciary in the matters of its independence but has bent over backwards to promote same. Since the administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the judiciary has also benefited from the resources of the state as follows:
1. Purchase of 13 Brand New Prado Jeeps for Judges of the High Court and a Toyota Land Cruiser V6 for the Chief Judge.
2. Tarring of all internal roads and creation of befitting car parks and environment within the Headquarters of the Kogi State High Court Complex.
3. Payment of Monthly Security Allowances of N200,000.00 to Judges of the High Court of Kogi State.
4. Regular release of Subvention to the Judiciary.
5. Renovation of the Chief Judge’s Court for the first ever Court of Appeal’s special Court sessions in Lokoja.
6. Payment of about 65 Million Naira for the Chief Judge’s medical expenses.
7. Conference allowances for Judges.

All these were done inspite of paucity of funds in Kogi State and inspite of other pressing and competing financial demands from other areas of governance in Kogi State.

Desirous of building on the gains made from the screening exercise, Government and organised labour in Kogi State, specifically the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) continued to express worry over the size of the State’s wage bill which was effectively eating up and sometimes overshooting the State’s Monthly Federal Allocations. Government and Labour, therefore, continued to dialogue on ways to monitor the disbursement of salaries with the aim of eradicating leakages wherever found.

Prior to the then-imminent disbursement of the 2nd Tranche of Kogi State’s share of the Paris Club Refund, the NLC, TUC and the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (PSJNC) agreed with the Government on what percentage of the expected sum should be used in paying salaries and the modalities for the disbursement. It was agreed that salaries payments from the funds be made via a pay parade/table payment exercise across board. This was to enable parties monitor the disbursement of the funds and also help to deepen verification of the current staff strength/wage bill. Further to the above agreement, Government approved that the table payment exercise proceed simultaneously with a Biometric Data Capture and Enrolment of Public Servants. The Pay Parade/Table Payment exercise approved therefore meant that a Public Servant (excluding the Judges whose salaries/allowances are paid by the National Judicial Council ‘NJC’) will physically present himself to the Payer (a joint committee of consultants, Management Staff of the concerned arm of Government and representatives of government and organised labour respectively). Public servants were to present themselves at their place of work and physically collect their several months pay via cheques, while their Biometric data are simultaneously captured for the digitisation process.