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Edo Govt Faces Legal Battle As Sacked Officials Challenge Termination

Published

8 months ago

January 30, 2025

Members of the dissolved Edo State Civil Service Commission have instituted a suit before the Benin Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) challenging their removal from office, which they said is unconstitutional.

They are calling for their reinstatement and claiming damages of N250 million as compensation for the purported abrupt termination of their appointment.

The suit marked NICN/BEN/06/2025 between the removed members namely, Iguodala Aluyi, Ehi Obaseki, Adegboyega Gilbert, Juliana Olatunji and Margaret Ohiowele as Respondent against the Edo state government, the governor of the state, Deputy Governor, the Attorney General of the state, the Accountant General of the State and the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly as Defendants gave them within 14 days for an appearance to be entered for them.

They want to the court among other things to determine whether the constitution empowered the defendants to dissolve the Edo State Civil Service Commission, a body they said was created under section 197 of the 1999constitution, by means of a Publication dated December 17,2024.

The Respondents want the court to declare among other things that “the 1st defendant and 2nd defendant acted in excess of the powers vested in them under the 1999 constitution when they purportedly dissolved the Edo State Civil Service Commission by a publication dated December 17, 2024, that the publication dated December 17, 2024 emanating from the 2st defendant is unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.”

They want the court to grant an order “setting aside the publication dated December 17,2024 purportedly dissolving the Edo State Civil Service Commission, that the 1st — 5th Claimants appointments as Chairman and members of the Edo State Civil Service Commission respectively made on 15thOctober,2024 are still valid and subsisting, that the 1st to 5th Claimants by law are entitled to a guaranteed tenure of five years removable only in accordance with the provisions of S. 201(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Nigeria.

“An order restraining the defendants, their agents, representatives or assigns from doing any act(s) which may prejudice the interest of the Claimants from discharging the functions or duties of their office pending the expiration of their term of office as stipulated in Section 199(1)© of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“That the 1st to 5th claimants are entitled to all their remunerations, their full salaries, allowances and benefits from October 15, 2024,the period when they were unlawfully removed by the 2nd defendant and until their tenure expires.

“General Damages in the sum of N250,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) suffered by the Claimants for the abrupt publication and purported termination, determination or disengagement as members of the Edo State Civil Service Commission for no just cause and the attendant odium associated with it.”

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

20 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.