Contrary to in­sinuations in some quarters that President Goodluck Jonathan, ordered the closure of courts in Ekiti State, the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has said the continued clo­sure is as a result of the ongoing strike em­barked upon by public servants in the state over unpaid salaries and allowances.
The NLC was reacting to a statement by the All Pro­gressives Congress (APC), which through its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the President of ordering that the Ado-Ekiti High Court Complex be sealed off until the Governor-elect, Mr Ayodele Fayose, is inaugurated.
In a statement in Ado- Ekiti on Friday, the NLC state Secretary, Com­rade Ade Obatoye, warned politicians against reading political meaning to the is­sue and stop having the im­pression that the strike and the recalcitrant posture of the workers to resume work was political.
The NLC stated categori­cally that the ongoing in­dustrial feud between the workers and government also affected the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, which it said accounted for the closure of courts.
It said: “We want to state categorically that all work­ers in Ekiti State, which include the members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria could not have resumed when the demand for payment of two months salaries and other arrears and deductions have not been met by government.
“The impression that workers in the judiciary were being locked out due to certain directives from the Presidency was not only a falsehood, but also unfortunate as we have embarked on an indefinite strike before the arrival of the security personnel who now manned the court premises.’

Ekiti courts’ closure: NLC absolves presidency, says judiciary workers on strike