Retired judge sues Ogun governor over non-payment of benefits

By OLAYINKA OLUKOYA, Abuja

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has been dragged to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Ibadan Division, by a retired judge of the State High Court, Justice Hezekiah Solanke, over unpaid monthly pensions and gratuity.

Solanke, in a suit number NICN/AB/01/2019 and an amended statement of facts deposed to by his counsel, Mr Deji Eniseyin, said his gratuity running into millions of naira, had not been paid since his voluntary retirement from service in 2017 at the age of 62 years.

Asides from Governor Abiodun, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adegbolahan Adeniran, was also joined as a defendant in the suit.

The claimant, who joined the State Judiciary in 1992, said he had been having issues with the payment of his pension and gratuity which prompted him to approach the court for action.

He said that the government ought to be paying him a sum of N1,312,133.00 as monthly entitlement which covers rent and responsibility allowance.

The retired judge explained that the monthly sum included N661,738 payment by National Judicial Council, N500,000 responsibility allowance from the Ogun State Government and N150,395 basic on rent.

While the money has not been paid, the former judge also lamented that his gratuity of N47,236,788 was not paid, adding that the gratuity was erroneously calculated on 220 per cent instead of 300 per cent of his annual basic salary.

Justice Solanke also averred that the sum of N5,414,220 being his furniture allowance in every four years had not been paid.

According to him, the development has made him unable to attend to his health challenges and to meet up with various family commitments.

The retired judge, therefore, sought an order of the court directing the defendants to pay N10,497,064 owed him as pension from June 1, 2017, to January 31, 2018.

He also sought an order directing the defendants to pay him N1,185,152 being pension owed from May 4, 2017, to May 31, 2017.

Justice Solanke is further seeking an order to enforce payment of his N500,000 responsibility allowance from February 2018 as well as N150,000 accommodation allowance from December 2018 till the judgement is delivered.

The former judge also demanded an order of the court to ensure payment of N47,236,788 gratuity due to him.

He also prayed the court to grant him N15million as general damages for failure by the defendants to pay him a pension for a period of eight months (June 1, 2017, to January 31, 2018) without any justification and his gratuity three years after his retirement.