Injustice: Retired Delta State University Registrar Pension illegally suspended since 2010
- The management of the Delta state university has refused to restore the pension of the former registrar of the school Mr. Joseph Ubogu which was illegally suspended since 2010.
The management of the Delta state university has refused to restore the pension of the former registrar of the school Mr. Joseph Ubogu which was illegally suspended since 2010.
Mr. Ubogu who served as the registrar of the school retired from service in 2005 and was being paid a pension of about 300,000 Naira, which was based on his last monthly salary. His pension payment was suddenly halted in August 2010.
According to his son, Enifome Ubogu, the school governing council met in 2003, reviewed and approved salary and pension structures for retirees and staff.
“In 2003 there was a governing council meeting whereby a decision was taken to review and approve a salary and pension/benefits structure for all staffs and retirees of the university effective from 2003.” He said.
“My Dad retired in 2005 and started enjoying his pension which amounted to a bit over 300,000 naira monthly. As you know in the civil service in Nigeria once you retire at a certain level, you retire with your full salary as pension.”
“He continued to enjoy his pension with some two other colleagues who retired within the same period. The other two colleagues were: a former Vice Chancellor of the University (Prof. Igun) and the former University Librarian.”
Enifome Ubogu stated that in 2009, the new VC and governing council allegedly increased monetary benefits for themselves which prompted the state government to institute a panel to investigate the matter.
After the investigation, the panel in a White Paper indicted the current VC Prof. Peretomoude and stipulated that he shoul refund 18 million Naira. The former VC Prof. Arubayi and others whose names appeared in the White Paper were also indicted and asked to refund a certain amount.
“In 2009 we learned that the new VC and governing council further increased packages for themselves exorbitantly. My Dad was never a beneficiary of this since he had long been retired since 2005. Prof. Arubayi the then VC and some others still serving, including a University Bursar now late, allocated millions upon millions of Naira to themselves.” Said Enifome
“The Delta state government raised eyebrows and set up a panel to review and investigate how these increase were arrived at in the governing council meeting of 2009.”
He also alleged the former Vice Chancellor, Professor Arubayi, is responsible for his father’s troubles having believed the former registrar was responsible for the delay in his appointment as VC of the DELSU.
“Prof Arubayi is the cause of all these problems. We believe he initiated targeting my Dad and the other two because he hates them and vowed to deal with them. We believe he thinks he should have be VC long earlier and probably attributes his not becoming VC earlier to these people. But for God’s sake my Dad is not a politically influential person.”
“He has always been content with what he gets. Furthermore, what role does a university Registrar play in the appointment of a VC? No significant role. It is like saying the permanent secretary of a ministry can influence who becomes a minister overseeing his ministry.”
According to Enifome, the family represented by SAN, Chief Albert Akpomudje filed a case against the School Management at an Industrial Court and judgement was delivered in their favour in May, 2017.
However, the judgement was appealed by the school management and until now the appeal has not come up for hearing at the appellate court, leaving the case hanging.
The case which was scheduled for May 20, 2019 was again adjourned to April 2020 through a text message sent to the family by the court of Appeal registrar, Enifome alleged.
The Ubogu family believes this is another instance where the instrument of justice is being deployed against an innocent, helpless individual and they are thus crying out for help. They also believe that the case of Mr Joseph Ubogu underlines the serious predicaments that millions of people who worked for decades are being put through when they are meant to enjoy their pensions. The family has decided to cry for help.
Mr Enifome Ubogu’s statement and some of the documents he handed over to diversitymedia.news is hereby reproduced.
Diversity Media,
Sir, the content can be put in better form and wording. This is just to provide the main issues.
My Dad (Mr. Joseph E. UBOGU) has been struggling to resolve suspended pension since 2010.
My father retired as Registrar, Delta State University in 2005. There is a governing council that manages the activities and decides how the university is run and also approves salary structures and benefits to staffs. In 2003 there was a governing council meeting whereby a decision was taken to review and approve a salary and pension/benefits structure for all staffs and retirees of the university effective from 2003.
My Dad retired in 2005 and started enjoying his pension which amounted to a bit over 300,000 naira monthly. As you know in the civil service in Nigeria once you retire at a certain level, you retire with your full salary as pension. He continued to enjoy his pension with some two other colleagues who retired within the same period. The other two colleagues were: a former Vice Chancellor of the University (Prof. Igun) and the former University Librarian.
In 2009 we learned that the new VC and governing council further increased packages for themselves exorbitantly. My Dad was never a beneficiary of this since he had long been retired since 2005. Prof. Arubayi the VC then and some others still serving, including a University Bursar now late, allocated millions upon millions of Naira to themselves. The Delta state government raised eyebrows and set up a panel to review and investigate how these increases where arrived at in the governing council meeting of 2009. Prof Arubayi is the cause of all this problems. We believe he initiated targeting my Dad and the other two because he hates them and vowed to deal with them. We believe he thinks he should have be VC long earlier and probably attributes his not becoming VC earlier to these people. But for Gods sake my Dad is not a politically influential person. He has always been content with what he gets. Furthermore, what role does a university Registrar play in the appointment of a VC? No significant role. It is like saying the permanent secretary of a ministry can influence who becomes a minister overseeing his ministry.
Anyway, the state government came out with a white paper after investigating the alleged salary review of the University Council of 2009, arbitrarily increasing packages for the VC, Bursar and some other staff of the university.
My father’s pension was drastically slashed by more than 80% starting in August 2010. Some months, just to spite my Dad they paid him pension of 5000 naira. The white paper as you will find attached is dated November 2010.
Now the University claims that the white paper recommended slashing my Dads pension. The university and the VC forgot that the white paper came in only after they had stopped my Dads pension. Even looking at the white paper which I have attached for you, there is no where my Dads name is mentioned.
Infact the white paper indicted the then VC, Prof. Arubayi and instructed him to make refunds which where specified in the white paper. The white paper also indicted the current VC, Prof. Peretomoude and demanded that he make refunds of about 18 million naira. There are others indicted in the very precise white paper, which made no reference to my Dad or the council resolution on approved salary/pension scale held in 2003. By the way there where other council resolutions on salary structure pre-2003. This is a routine exercise to keep up with inflation and other economic dynamics of the country.
Uptill now, there in no indication that the indicted persons including Prof. Arubayi (former VC) and Prof. Peretomoude (current VC) have even started making their stipulated refunds.
What we see is that the university under Prof. Arubayi as VC saw their indictment for financial impropriety coming. To appease the state government, he had to look for scape goats who he will use to make refunds to the state and show a good face that the university has been taking action to cut costs. His scape goats are my Dad and these two other retirees, knowing fully well that they will not have the means to fight.
Truly it worked to an extent as the other two retirees gave up chasing justice. My Dad personally continued pleading, using all channels to prove that stopping his pension was not justified, wicked and extremely vindictive. We know that Prof. Arubayi did this. He then appointed his relation, a lawyer working as full time non teaching staff of the university to adjudicate the case behalf of the university. Thereby still making monetary gains from this case for as long as it lasts.
Somehow God hears the cries of the needy. We got a SAN, Chief Albert Akpomudje, a very well respected lawyer who after hearing the merits of our case decided and has been handling this case for us pro bono. Also, Chief Akpomudje’s protegee Bar. Tuggen Donald has been helping immensely in doggedly working to see justice in the case on our behalf. We eventually got judgement in our favour from the industrial court since May, 2017. But the university has appealed that judgement since 2017. We are in 2019 May now, still the appeal has not come up for hearing at the court of appeal. Every time a date is fixed the university as appellants find a reason to make sure the date is shifted. We understand that the university through the current VC, Prof. Peretomoude, a known stooge of the former VC Prof. Arubayi, decided to invest money on the lawyer relation of Prof Arubayi to make sure the case never concludes. So they have been ensuring that. The case was again scheduled to hold on the 20th May 2019, but we got a text from the court of appeal registry that the case has been adjourned to April 2020.
My Dad is very old and sickly. These people have no conscience. One of the Lawyers at Akpomuje SAN’s office informed us that the university lawyer boasted to him that he will make sure the case never ends until my Dad dies. Even our lawyer informed us that he met the current VC in a London airport earlier this year and asked him why he does not want to restore my Dads pension. His answer was that he was not the one who stopped it. It was the previous VC that stopped it and he does not want to restore my Dads pension during his tenure as VC.
We have tried every means to negotiate a settlement with the university, but of course the personal interest of the indicted VC and former VC will not allow that to happen. My Dad is the one and the two others paying the price of the indictment of the former VC Prof. Arubayi and the current VC Prof. Peretomoude.
Furthermore, I am also thinking or sending a petition to EFCC. What do you think about this Sir?
Best regards and thanks a lot for your kind assistance.
Enifome Ubogu, LL.M (Wales)
Appeal to Fix Date for Hearing (DELSU v. Ubogu) (1)
CTC of Judgment (Ubogu v. Delsu)
Respondents Brief (Delsu v. Ubogu) (1)
