Justice Isaac Essien of the National Industrial Court’s Makurdi division, has ruled in favor of Mrs. Becky Iorember.
Mrs. Iorember is a retiree, who was in a long standing battle to receive her outstanding gratuity and pension arrears.
The judgment which was passed on Tuesday, saw the end of this battle as the court held that the Local Government Pension Laws of Benue State guarantees her the right to these payments upon retirement.
Background
Mrs. Iorember retired in 2015, and was involved in a dispute with the Benue State Government, Benue State Local Government Pension Board, and three others regarding her pension and gratuity.
She however, had only received pension payments from March 2016 to August 2017, leaving her with a substantial 36-month pension arrearage as of February 2020. Additionally, 31 months of gratuity arrears were outstanding.
Defendants in the case, including the Benue State Government and Pension Board, acknowledged that Mrs. Iorember had received a partial gratuity payment of N1,750,000 but still owed a substantial N5,937,720.00k.
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Court’s Decision
Justice Essien, after careful consideration, found that the Local Government Pension Laws of Benue State guarantees Mrs. Becky Iorember’s right to receive her gratuity and pension upon retirement.
He however, issued an order awarding Mrs. Iorember the sum of N9.9 million.
This substantial amount is to be paid in installments, with the first N2,000,000 installment due by the end of October 2023.
Subsequent payments of N1,000,000 each will follow until the full judgment debt is satisfied.
Notably, the judgment includes N935,334.4k for the outstanding gratuity and pension arrears.