FROM: PAUL ORUDE BAUCHI
No fewer than 183 former political office holders under the immediate
past governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, have dragged the
state government and the Attorney-General (AG) of the state to the
National Industrial Court of Nigeria, in Bauchi, over unpaid severance
gratuity totaling over N600 million.
Speaking with journalists at the court premises, on
Wednesday, shortly after the case was mentioned before presiding
Justice Waziri Agbe, one of the aggrieved former aides, Dalhatu
Ibrahim Ningi, a former Senior Special Assistant, Protocol to
ex-Governor Yuguda, said they were seeking legal redress against the state government to claim their
rights.
Ningi, who is the Chairman, Forum of Former Political Officer Holder,
said: “We met the state government several times and we have written
to them several times to pay us our severance gratuity.
“They promised us several times and gave us letters that they would
definitely going to pay but up till now they have not paid us and they
didn’t call for any settlement between us and them that is why we are
here today (Wednesday) with our lawyer to claim our rights.”
Counsel to plaintiffs, Barr. Mendy Anieken, said his clients were
disenchanted with the development, saying it was capable of
creating social tension within the polity.
According to Anieken, “It is better the Government comes to their aid and settle
because this is a claim fixed by law. We have a gazette fixing it and
that have no defence against the claim before the court”
On the adjournment of the case to December 7 for hearing, Barr.
Aneikan said, “We are optimistic that the new judge was just been
posted and we have seen that he is proactive. He is ready to hear us.
So we have faith in the court because that is the only place we can
run to ventilate our grievance as far as this claim is concern. We
expect that on the next adjourn date (December 7), our matter will be
heard and justice will come in the end.
“The case is just about severance gratuity which has not been paid. We
have written several letters to that effect and the government still
dodge and for a long time didn’t find anything thing in defence of the
suit but just few days back we see them trying to put some papers in
terms of the suit. We are not bothered. We want them to join issues
with us to see whether we are entitled to these claims or not.”
In his own reaction, counsel to the state government, Barrister Ibn
Idris, Director, Civil Litigations, in the ministry of Justice Bauchi,
said it was true that some former aides of ex-governor Isa Yuguda have
dragged the state government to court over alleged severance
gratutity.
Barrister Idris said: “For you to get a clear picture of what gather
claim is and what our responses is I think you have to refer to the
processes we filed in exchange. They have served us with their claims
and we have served them the government side of the defence. I advise
you refer to the court processes since the matter is in court”
According to him, the former aides claimed that they are entitled to
furniture, allowances and referred to the relevant law adding, “ we
on our part said no they are not even if they are there are certain
things that must be considered as provided for by the law. I don’t
want to go into details because the matter is before the court and it
will be prejudiced for me to start discussing it before the court
starts making any pronouncements. We are waiting for the court to
decide and after that either sides determines what it gets.”