Adeleke Told To Settle Unpaid Judges’ Allowances Within 10 Days Or Face Legal Action

An Ibadan-based lawyer, Mutalubi Adebayo, SAN, has told Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to pay arrears of allowances owed retired and serving judges in the state or face legal action.

Adebayo, in a statement dated Thursday, September 21, signed by himself in Osogbo, said that should Governor Adeleke refused to yield to his 10-day ultimatum, by September 30, legal action to compel him to pay up would commence in a court of competent jurisdiction on October 3.

The lawyer also noted that besides the arrears of outstanding allowances, he would also claim interest and aggravated damages in respect of the unpaid entitlements.

Adebayo’s statement reads, “This serves as a notice to the Governor, the Government and the Judicial Service Commission of Osun State of Nigeria that if all the arrears of allowances being owed all the Judicial Officers in the state (both serving and retired) from the tenure of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola till date are not liquidated on or before the 30th day of September 2023, I, JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN, shall on the 3rd day of October 2023 commence legal action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the full amount of the said unpaid allowances from the Government of Osun State and its Judicial Service Commission.

“Take further notice that I will also claim interest and aggravated damages in respect of those unpaid allowances because the acts of the Government of Osun State in refusing to pay the same over the years amount to sheer callousness, recklessness, disregard for rule of law, indecent and unfair.”

However, Spokesperson to the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed in a statement signed on Thursday, accused the lawyer of misrepresentation and misinterpretation of employment relationship between employees and the employer.

Rasheed noted that Adeleke administration inherited the debt from the two previous governments of the All Progressive Congress a whopping salary, pension and employment related debt to the tune of 100 billion naira. This is outside another state debt of over 400 billion naira.

His statement reads in part “It is on record that the Adeleke administration ensures payment of salary as at when due and is also working to pay up inherited employment related debt from the previous administrations.

“Many would wonder why the Ibadan lawyer did not sue those who created the mess while they were in office. We are even shocked that the barrister in question chooses to attack a Governor who is doing all within his powers to correct fundamental errors of the last 12 years and set the state on the path of sustainable growth.

“We must also put on record that Osun judicial workers have their unions and it is not in doubt that the union leadership is capable and able to advance the interest of their members. The Unions are also not unmindful of the inherited rot and ongoing efforts of the government to holistically address their issues.

“We are constrained to therefore urge the lawyer to avoid distractive and interloping activism. As we believe he is not politically recruited, he should adopt other dignifying route rather than usurping labour dispute question which only the unions and their employers can undertake.

“As we assume the lawyer has good intention, he can rework his threat into an appeal to the State Governor to continue his ongoing phased payment of outstanding liabilities inherited from the previous administrations.

“He may further commend the Governor for acting for all Osun people by devising strategies to complete abandon projects and gradual payments of outstanding liabilities.”