The ongoing strike by members of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria (MAN), Cross River State chapter, has continued following the rejection of the state government’s offer to provide 15 official vehicles out of the 74 requested.
The Secretary of the association, Magistrate Solomon Abuo, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Calabar on Thursday.
Abuo said the government had proposed to supply 15 official vehicles by the end of March, a move the association considers inadequate given that there are 74 magistrates currently serving in the state.
“Alternatively, we requested that they provide 37 by March ending and the remaining 37 by the end of June, or provide the entire 74 by May ending,” he said.
He confirmed that the association had met twice with government representatives within the week and was awaiting a final offer following their last meeting on Tuesday night.
On other demands, Abuo noted that the association accepted the government’s offer to increase monthly imprest from N15,000 to N100,000, on the condition that the payment begins immediately and is backdated to January.
He also disclosed that the government approved burial assistance of N1.5 million for deceased magistrates.
“We lost three members in 2025 and the government had already paid one of the three families, with a promise to pay the other two by Friday,” he said.
However, the association expressed concern over what it described as government silence on key issues, including accommodation for magistrates and the renovation of magistrate courts across the state.
“We are particularly concerned about accommodation, where we have faced embarrassment from landlords, some of whom end up in the same magistrate courts when there are disputes,” Abuo said.
He explained that while accommodation may require long-term planning, the association proposed an alternative arrangement of N2 million annually per magistrate to address housing challenges.
The MAN secretary further stated that the government had not responded to the demand for an annual wardrobe allowance of N500,000 for magistrates.
The association resumed its suspended industrial action on Monday, following a resolution reached at its general meeting on January 30.
In a letter signed by its Chairman, Godwin Onah, and Secretary, Solomon Abuo, the magistrates said the decision to resume the strike was due to the government’s failure to fulfil earlier commitments that led to the suspension of the action.
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