Lawyers Suspend 3-Month Strike

Lawyers under the aegis of Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN), Cross River State chapter, have resolved to suspend the strike embarked upon since November 7 this year to pave way for an amicable resolution of the inherent crisis.

A letter addressed to the Head of Service, Mr. Ekpenyong Henshaw, which was obtained by our correspondent in Calabar, and signed by Barristers Eneji Amajama and Moses Nkwo, chairman and secretary of the association, respectively, explained that the suspension was as a result of interventions by well-meaning individuals in the legal profession.

The association, however, gave the state government three months from last Tuesday to do the needful in order to ensure that the harmonization policy, which is expected to bring law officers at par with magistrates is implemented in full.

“On the 1st day of December, 2016, the leadership and chairman of the three branches of the Nigerian Bar Association in the state led by our learned Mba Ukweni (SAN) invited us to a meeting and appealed to us to suspend our action with the promise to join you to ensure that immediate effect is given to our earlier letter to you,” the letter noted.

It stated, “It is on the premise of the above truism and our willingness and determination to serve the state and humanity that we are hereby suspending the strike action with effect from the 7th day of December, 2016.

“We believe that the timeline of three months from the date of the receipt of this letter will be sufficient to enable your office do the needful to ensure that the harmonization policy is implemented in full as reflected in your letter earlier referred to,” it further stated.

The association appealed to the state government to see the gesture as the willingness of members to contribute to the growth and advancement of the state by giving its members the enabling environment to ensure that those who require justice are given the opportunity to effective representation by the state.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar