Court orders Akwa Ibom governor to pay Eno Bassey N21.3 million

Hon. Justice Mahmud Namtari of the National Industrial Court sitting in Uyo has ordered the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno and his Attorney General to pay Rev. Enobong Bassey, a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Estate Management, the total sum of N21.3 million for salaries and entitlements covering the period from December 1, 2009, to July 2018....CONTINUE READING

The court declared that the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic’s decision to utilize the services of Rev. Enobong Bassey without compensating him for his work was unjust and ordered the payment of N1,359,190.00 as damages, equivalent to a year’s salary for Rev. Bassey.

Justice Namtari further mandated that all the awarded payments to Rev. Enobong Bassey by the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, and its Attorney General be settled within 30 days.

In this case, Rev. Enobong Bassey claimed that he had been offered the position of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Estate Management at the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic on November 27, 2009. While he diligently fulfilled his duties as the Head of the Department, he waited in anticipation of the payment of his salaries and entitlements. The court noted his diligence as evident from the minutes of meetings of the Academic Board on March 1, 2017, and March 16, 2017.

Rev. Enobong Bassey asserted that despite multiple appeals and pleas to relevant authorities, his salaries and other entitlements remained unpaid to this day, and he sought relief from the court.

Efforts to reach an out-of-court settlement between both parties proved unsuccessful, and the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic and two other parties failed to present a defense in the lawsuit.

Rev. Bassey’s legal counsel argued that the failure of the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic and the State Government to provide evidence in their defense implied acceptance of the evidence against them. They urged the court to grant the requested reliefs.

In a well-thought-out judgment, Judge Namtari emphasized that the absence of evidence or a defense does not automatically result in victory for Rev. Bassey. The court maintained that unchallenged evidence does not automatically become credible, and it remained Rev. Bassey’s responsibility to present credible evidence to support his case, albeit with the minimum required proof.

The court concluded that Rev. Bassey had satisfactorily demonstrated his entitlement, citing his appointment as Acting Head of Department on February 11, 2013, and a letter of commendation dated October 3, 2017, which were presented as exhibits. These documents indicated that Rev. Bassey’s employment was still valid during the period under scrutiny, justifying his claim for N21,380,723.60 in salaries and entitlements from December 1, 2009, to July 2018.