The Kwara State chapter of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria (LOAN) has expressed intention to continue its indefinite strike, insisting that no genuine negotiation has taken place between the association and the state government.  This resolution was reached on Thursday, at a meeting held at the conference room of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, where members maintained that claims of ongoing engagement with stakeholders do not reflect direct talks with them as a body.

This comes despite an earlier appeal from the office of the Head of Service, Kwara State, Oladayo Oduwole, who had urged the law officers to resume duty, of face the implication of not getting paid, in line with the trade dispute act. The law officers however stated that the engagements with the Trade Union Congress, the Joint Negotiating Council, and the state controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour, do not amount to negotiations with their leadership.

Reacting to the development, the Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin branch, has again called on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the state Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice to urgently intervene. In a statement obtained by our correspondent, Nedu Okorie, the branch Chairman, Jimoh Saad Muhammed, Esq. said dialogue and peaceful resolution remain the only way forward, and cautioned the government against issuing a no-work-no-pay directive that could worsen the situation.

The NBA chairman also drew attention to the difficult conditions under which some law officers operate, and reaffirmed the association’s full support for the workers’ push for the payment of their outstanding statutory allowances and other entitlements.