The National Industrial Court, Abuja Division, have asked the Clerk of the National Assembly to pay an ex-Speaker’s aide, Abednego Anyadike, the sum of N10 million within 30 days.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
In a judgement, Justice Olufunke Anuwe, declared that the failure of the Clerk to pay Anyadike the sum of N10,215,756.14 being the outstanding sum of his salary and allowances for the period of his appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the Speaker, House of Representatives, from 2nd January, 2013 to 29th May, 2015 amounts to a breach of contract of employment.
The court consequently ordered the Clerk to pay Anyadike the sum of N10,215,756.14 being the outstanding sum of his salary and allowances for the period of his appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Justice Anuwe held that the defendant did not prove the assertion that Anyadike was employed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, saying the evidence before the court reveals that Anyadike was appointed by the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly to serve under the Speaker of the House of Representatives as Senior Special Assistant.
The court further held that the Clerk of the National Assembly appointed Anyadike as Senior Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives vide exhibit A and cannot change the content of the letter which he signed.
Justice Anuwe stressed that in view of the terms of Anyadike’s appointment letter, the defendant had no justification for failing to pay the claimant salaries and allowances accruing to him before September 2013.
The court further affirmed that the Clerk of the National Assembly is indebted to Anyadike for his salary and allowances for the said period, and the claimant has proved his claim in accordance with the law. Justice Anuwe consequently awarded the sum of N500,000 in favour of the former aide as the cost of action.
Anyadike, in his suit, had submitted that he was appointed a Senior Special Assistant to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives on 2nd January, 2013 by the Clerk of the National Assembly and his appointment was later formalized on 11th September, 2013.
He said he worked in that capacity until 29th May, 2015, following the expiration of the tenure of the then Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
Anyadike averred that all efforts to recover his outstanding salary entitlement were to no avail and he has suffered deprivations and economic hardship as a result of the Clerk’s refusal to pay him the outstanding sum due to him.
In defence, the Clerk of the National Assembly maintained that there is no amount of money belonging to Anyadike that remains outstanding and that Anyadike was employed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly through the Clerk’s office. He urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety.