By Albert Akota
Coaches and players of Nasarawa United FC have dragged the club’s management to a Jos Industrial Court over unpaid salaries, allowances and sign-on fees totaling N182.54 million.
Joined in the suit, which is before Justice Kenneth Amadi, is the Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.
Paul Hammachi, counsel to the five coaches and the players, in the originating summons, claimed that the club sacked them and refused to pay their entitlements totaling N182.54 million – N46.35 for the coaches and N136.2million for the players.
The Coaches team comprised of Evans Ogenyi, Sylvester Ekoja, Michael Jatau, Bala Nikyu and El Shammah Inusa who served as Technical Adviser, Assistant Coach, Chief Coach, Goal Keeper Trainer and Chief trainer respectively, before being laid off in 2015.
The plaintiffs claimed that the N182.544, 000 was scrutinized and awarded to them on September 10, 2015 by Nigeria Football Federation Players’ Status and arbitration Committee, Abuja.
“But, two years after this arbitration, the club and the Nassarawa state Government have not paid us,” they alleged in the affidavit.
They prayed the court to enforce the verdict since it was, in itself, equal to a judgement of the court.
At the hearing of the matter on Monday, Counsel to the defendants, Ishaku Usman, who is also the Solicitor-General of Nassarawa State, pleaded for extension of time.
“I have two motions before the court, but I wish to withdraw one because I have lumped the two into one.
“My Lord, the second motion is praying for an extension of time within which to enable us properly present our memorandum of appearance and equally depose our affidavit against the originating summon, ’’ Mr. Usman stated.
The Judge obliged and struck out the first motion of the defendants, after the plaintiffs’ counsel said he had no objection to it.
Mr. Hammachi, however, told the court that he could not continue with the hearing of the case since he was only served with the second motion “this morning”.
He applied for an adjournment to enable him study the motion filed by the defense counsel before replying to it.
Mr. Amadi adjourned the case to Jan. 24, 2018 for further mention.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
