Imo pensioners storm Industrial Court in Owerri

Hundreds of members of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Imo state branch on Tuesday stormed National Industrial Court Owerri over a suit they filed against the state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and four others.

The NUP had dragged the state governor, Owelle Okorocha, the state Attorney-General, Accountant-General, Auditor-General and Head of Service to court for issuing a letter/form directing pensioners to collect only 40 percent of their accumulated pension arrears.

When the suit, NCN/OW/144/2017, filed before Justice Olufunke Anuwe came up for hearing, Mr. Ostita Chukwuemeka, counsel to all the defendants told the court that they still have eight days to reply the summons.

Chukwuemeka said that they were served the summons on March 18, 2017, and have eight more days to reply, saying “before the expiration of the period, we will file our reply’’.

Counsel to the claimants, Mr. Wisdom Durueke, who led more than 20 other lawyers, appealed to the court to fix a date for the hearing of the suit, saying, “we served the summons on March 15, 2017 and not March 18, as claimed by the defendants.’’

Durueke said there was the need for the court to fix a date for the hearing of the suit as the state government has enough money to settle the pensioners.

“My Lord, we were having double mind in the filing of this suit, but when we learnt that the defendants received $185 million as refund from the Paris Club recently, we felt there was the urgent need to step up action on this suit’’.

After listening to arguments from both claimants and defence counsel, Justice Anuwe, fixed April 28, 2017 for commencement of hearing on the suit.

Before fixing the date, the presiding Justice pleaded with the pensioners not to attend the court in future in their numbers.

“Counsel please appeal to the pensioners to only send five representatives who will represent them in future sitting because they are old men and women. I am making this appeal because I will not like to see any of them collapse in this court’’, Anuwe pleaded.

But Durueke told the court that it would be rather proper to allow 27 local government areas branch chairmen, three officials each from state and national executive of NUP to be attending the proceedings.

Mr. Lawrence Nwakaeti, the Owerri branch chairman of Nigeria Bar Association who equally put up appearance in the matter, said NBA Owerri branch was handling the case free of charge for the pensioners.

“The Owerri branch of NBA is handling this suit `probono’ (free of charge) for the Imo pensioners because of their condition and the manner of treatment they are being given by the state government.

“We feel this is one of our social responsibilities especially to a very important segment of our society that are wrongly treated.”

In the originating summons earlier filed by NUP, they urged the court to void the letter issued to pensioners to forfeit 60 percent of their accumulated pension arrears.

The claimants noted that section 210(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) states that pensioners in Imo State public service including the second to fourth claimants have right to pension.

They also want the court to make an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, by themselves, representatives, successors or whatsoever name called from implementing, executing the content of the said letter/form.

Our Correspondent reports that hundreds of pensioners were in court as early as 7.30 am and occupied seats meant for some lawyers, while scores stood at the frontage of the court hall.