Omamus Emmanuel l Friday, October 06, 2017
IKOYI, Lagos, Nigeria – National Industrial Court, NIC, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos will today, October 6, 2017 rule on the suit filed by ex-staff of Nigerian Compass Newspaper, owned by former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
Justice Ayodele Obaseki Osaghai had adjourned the judgement from April 8 to May 30, on the ground that the judgement was not ready. But on May 30, 2017, Her Lordship sent the court clerk to announce to counsel and their clients that judgement was not ready and that they would get back to them, leaving the litigants and their counsel to walk out of court dejectedly.
The journalists comprising Emmanuel Ukudolo, Victor Asowata, Azuka Nwokocha, Sebastine Eyinna, Kolawole Ayodele, Hope Abel and Usoro Ndianobong filed the suit on Thursday March 27 at the Nigerian Industrial Court in Ikoyi, Lagos through their lawyer, Mr. Nkem Eke of Nkem Eke & Co Barristers and Solicitors.
The plaintiffs are pleading that the court should compel Gbenga Daniel , owner of Western Publishing to pay the workers all their emoluments running into several millions.
Both parties have nine months ago adopted their written submission with lawyer to the Plaintiffs, Nkem Eke urging the court to pay his clients all their entitlement and cost of litigation.
While Lawyer to the defendant, Mr. Ogundowo prayed the court to strike out the suit for lack of merit.
Speaking in behalf of the complainants, Ayodele said that Daniel’s Western Publishing, owners of Nigerian Compass owned them salaries in excess of one year and deducted payee tax which it refused to remit to the Ogun State Government; deducted cooperative contribution from source which it refused to remit to the cooperative; deducted contributory pension which it refused to remit to Trust Fund, IBTC Pension and other pension administrators even when it refused to pay its own share of the contributory pension.
He added that by so doing the company denied them legitimate income, right to retirement income and deprived them of their right as tax complying workers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
