Lagos lawyer Chidi Ike has expressed surprise over the failure of the counsel for the Osun State Government to show up in court when the matter came up for mention on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

He declared his readiness to proceed with case on the adjourned date, March 7, 2022.

The case is between a Lagos firm, Star Global Marketing Limited, and the following: The Osun State Government; Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) (now known as University of Osun) Teaching Hospital Management Board; and the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Peter Olaitan.

Papers filed in court by Lagos lawyer Chidi Ike of Chidi Ike and Associates, legal counsel to the complainant, revealed that his client decide to go to court to seek redress following the defendants’ refusal to pay for medical equipment supplied some nine years ago, despite series of attempts to recover the monies failed.

Reacting to the absence of the defendants from court, Barr. Ike, Principal Partner of Chidi Ike and Associates, legal counsel to the complainant, said: “We are surprised because they filed yesterday to come and take their motion today.”

“When you bring your matter in court, the defendants should enter their appearance and file their defence. They had 42 days to enter appearance and defend it,” Barr Ike said.

He said that if the defendants fail to show up on the adjourned day (March 7) “I’m going to ask the court to allow us argue our own motion.”

News Express reports that Star Global Marketing Limited has filed two cases at the Lagos High Court against Osun State Government which are;

* Star Global Marketing Limited V Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital Management Board and Others. Suit No LD/ADR/3607/2021 before Honourable Justice Pedro of Lagos High Court, sitting at Osborne Ikoyi

* Star Global Marketing Limited V Osun State Government & Another. Suit No LD/ADR/3651/2021 before Honourable Justice Oyefeso of Lagos High Court, sitting at Ajah which comes up on Monday, January 24, 2022, for mention.

The company is claiming the sum of N148,260,000 (One Hundred and Forty-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira) being the outstanding unpaid sums for the supply of medical supplies/equipment by the Claimant to the Defendant (Osun State Government of Nigeria).

The Claimant’s claim against Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital Management Board, and Professor Peter Olaitan (Chief Medical Officer, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital) and Osun State Government of Nigeria whom the Claimant sued jointly and/or severally is the total sum of N69,452,612.50 (Sixty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Twelve Naira, Fifty Kobo) representing the outstanding unpaid sum for the supply of C-Arm machine and various medical supplies by the Claimant to the Teaching Hospital, a Parastatal of Osun State Government.

In the claims, the Claimant claimed it supplied C-Arm Machine and other medical supplies upon a written contract between it and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital Management Board but after the supply of the medical equipment put into use by the hospital, Ladoke Akintola of Technology Teaching Hospital and Osun State Government of Nigeria have refused to pay the Claimant monies due to the Claimant.

“Since fulfilling its part of the bargain, every time the Claimant asked for payment from the State Government and LAUTECH, its Agency, the response had been that the State had no money to pay. These had gone on for years and all attempts by the Claimant to recover its money from the respective Defendants over the years have proved abortive and the Claimant has now finally approached the courts in Lagos, to seek justice,” according to court papers sighted by News Express.

When the case before Honourable Justice Pedro came up on Wednesday, the Defendants did not show up hence the case was adjourned to March 7, 2022.