Peter Dada, Akure
A former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Lasisi Oluboyo, has sued the Ondo State Government over alleged non-payment of his outstanding emoluments and monthly pension arrears.
Oluboyo, through his counsel, Mr. Olu Ogidan, in the suit, asked the court to compel the government to pay his gratuities and pensions running into several millions of naira.
It was gathered that the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adekola Olawoye, had, in a letter, affirmed that Oluboyo was entitled to his gratuity, but he was allegedly silent on his monthly pensions as passed into law by the State House of Assembly.
The former deputy governor disagreed with the letter, insisting that all his entitlements must be paid.
Oluboyo, who was a deputy to ex-Governor Olusegun Mimiko from 2015 to 2017, had replaced Mr. Ali Olanusi following the latter’s impeachment.
He said he was entitled to all the benefits attached to his former office as a deputy governor as stipulated in the laws of the state.
The suit, No. AK/75/2019 filed in the High Court of Ondo State, has the governor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as well as the Ondo State Pensions Board as defendants.
The claimant (Oluboyo) prayed the court to order the payment of his entitlements as a former deputy governor.
Also in the suit, the claimant sought a sum of N10m as damages to compensate for his “untold hardship, emotional distress, scorn and ridicule” to which the action of the defendants allegedly exposed him.
The court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the suit.