About 100 disengaged members of staff of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency have approached the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, seeking to compel the Rivers State Government to pay their outstanding salaries. The workers were disengaged by the Rivers State Government, and their salaries have stopped since 2017. They had previously approached the National Industrial Court, which delivered a declaratory judgment in October 2021, stating that their employment subsists.
The National Industrial Court directed the Rivers State Government to pay their salaries and emoluments, but the government has refused to comply. The workers then instituted enforcement proceedings, seeking an order to enforce their judgment for immediate payment of their salaries and emoluments. However, the lower court refused to grant the order, citing a subsisting appeal. The workers have now approached the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the decision of the lower court.
Counsel for the applicants, Isa Saidu, noted that the appeal was filed on July 17, 2025, seeking leave to appeal the decision of the lower court. The respondents, represented by H. N. Amadi, did not oppose the application. The presiding judge, Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, granted the application, allowing the workers to appeal the lower court's decision.
Saidu explained that the workers are unhappy with the refusal of the National Industrial Court to enforce the payment of their salaries based on pending appeals. He claimed that there were no court records indicating any appeal against the initial judgment. The workers have now computed the amount due to them to be over N3 billion, and the figure is still running because their employments have not been determined.
The workers have faced significant hardship since their disengagement, with Saidu lamenting that one of the workers committed suicide due to the unbearable hardship. The Court of Appeal's decision to grant the workers' application has raised hopes that they may finally receive their outstanding salaries. The case has significant implications for workers' rights in Nigeria.
The Rivers State Government has been accused of refusing to comply with the National Industrial Court's directive to pay the workers' salaries. The government had been under the leadership of former Governor Nyesom Wike at the time of the court's directive. The current status of the government's compliance with the court's order remains unclear.
The case is set to continue at the Court of Appeal, with the workers seeking to enforce their judgment and receive their outstanding salaries. The outcome of the case will have significant implications for workers' rights and the enforcement of court judgments in Nigeria. Key issues, including the government's compliance with court directives and the rights of disengaged workers, will be closely watched.
Key points
- The workers are seeking to compel the Rivers State Government to pay their outstanding salaries, which have not been paid since 2017.
- The National Industrial Court had directed the government to pay the workers' salaries, but the government has refused to comply.
- The workers have computed the amount due to them to be over N3 billion, and the figure is still running because their employments have not been determined.
