In a significant victory for retired civil servants in Nasarawa State, the Industrial Court sitting in Markurdi, Benue state on Friday, ruled in favor of the pensioners, ordering the immediate disbursement of over One Billion Naira from three commercial banks to 170 retired workers as their retirement gratuity.

The ruling came after a group of retirees, under the aegis of the Patriotic Local Government Pensioners Union Nasarawa State, sought enforcement of a creditor’s judgment case against the Nasarawa State Government for the payment of their retirement benefits.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Isaac Essien, delivered the landmark judgment, dismissing two motions filed by the state government to dismiss the case and recuse himself from the proceedings.

He further ordered the three commercial banks, which were joined in the suit, to pay over one billion Naira from the Nasarawa State Government’s account into the bank account of the retirees’ counsel for disbursement to the pensioners. The court also awarded a four-million-Naira judgment cost against the state government.

Justice Isaac Essien stood firm in his decision, stating that it is a violation of the nation’s constitution to deny senior citizens their entitlements, emphasizing that those who have diligently served the state deserve a better life post-retirement.(Daily Sun)