Eight Permanent Secretaries drag Gov. Wike to court over compulsory retirement

Gov. Nyesom Wike

Eight Permanent Secretaries in River have dragged the state government to National Industrial Court in Yenagoa over their compulsory retirement from the state civil service.
The suit commenced on Monday at the Yenagoa Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretaries are Mr Sam Woka, Ms Kadilo Brown, Mr Augustine Orlu-Orlu, Mr Muka Nwikosi, Mr Minabelema Michael-West, Mrs Ngozi Abu, Mr Kingsley Hart and Mrs Justina Jumbo.
Joined in the suit are the Attorney-General of the state, the Head of Service of the state,the Rivers State Civil Service Commission, and the Accountant General of Rivers.
Mr Tuduru Ede, Counsel to the Permanent Secretaries told the court that the purported compulsory retirement of the Permanent Secretaries was in contravention of the civil service rules and therefore unlawful.
He urged the court to declare the exercise null and void since it did not follow the set down procedures in public service.
Ede further applied to the court to restrain the government in Rivers from further threat and harassment of the Permanent Secretaries with eviction from their official residential accommodation are seizure of their official vehicles.
“My clients have been severaly threatened by Rivers government officials, they are afraid and therefore seek the protection of the court,” Ede said.
Ruling on the application for interlocutory injunction to restrain the government from harassing the Permanent Secretaries,  Justice James Agbadu-Fishim noted that defence counsel was absent but sent a representative to apeal to the court for time to appear.
The Judge adjourned the case to Jan. 21, 2016 to hear the motion for interlocutory injuction pending the determination of the matter.