Four days after judiciary staff of Kogi State resumed duty after five months of industrial action following the dispute with the state government, Magistrate Court 11, Lokoja has been thrown into mourning mood, over the loss of one of its dedicated staff, Fatimah Noah.
Noah, a widow, popularly known as Mama Danlandi in her working place, slumped and died around 8.pm on Thursday at her residence in Lokoja, over a yet to be established illness.
She was said to have resumed work on Monday with her colleagues, as JUSUN called off 5-month old strike, after National Judicial Council (NJC) resolved the trade disputes between the judiciary and Kogi State government; and has been consistently on duty without complaint of any health issue.
But a colleague of hers said she was seen on duty on Thursday hale and healthy until she closed and left for home.
A family source said since her husband died years ago, the burden of family upkeep has been on her, but that the situation became compounded when her salary was not paid to her, for almost a year now.
“Mama Danladi who had not taken salaries for the past one year, and a widow with children in tertiary institutions, was said to have scouted for just N20,000 three days ago to address pressing need of one of her sons in the school without success,” the source stressed.
Speaking to journalists, most of her colleagues at her work place extolled her virtues of humour, and said they have lost a rare gem whose dedication to work endeared her to the high and the low at her place of work.
Meanwhile, the remains of the late Mama Danladi has been taken to Idah, her country home, and buried according to Islamic rites.
Speaking on salary as promised by the state government, some of the judiciary staff revealed that nothing has been seen or done apart from a meeting with its agents this week, adding that the seemingly lull in respect of the payment of salaries of workers by the government since resumption from strike is causing uneasiness among the workers.
Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja
