Court orders school to pay N1m damages plus unpaid 5-year gratuity to ex-staff

The National Industrial Court in Abuja has ordered Global International College, Abuja to pay N1million damages to its former employee, Mr. Abel Enokela, for refusing to pay his gratuity for five years.

Justice Oluseun Shogbola, who gave the order in her judgment on Wednesday, said that N907,000 was the outstanding balance to be paid to Enokela as gratuity for five years as the school had paid N81, 500 for one year.

She ordered the school to pay him the remaining balance in addition to the N1million damages for denying him the opportunity to invest his money and warned the school to desist from such act.

She further ordered the school to give the former employee Tax Clearance Certificate as evidence that the N12,000 deducted from his salary monthly was remitted to government.

Shogbola said that if the Tax Clearance Certificate was not provided, all the money deducted from his salary for the six years should also be returned to him.

According to her, it is wrong for an institution that should be an epitome of morality to be deducting money from staff as tax and not remit the money accordingly.

Shogbola underscored the fact that a school should be a place for inculcating moral values, discipline and honour in children.

She, therefore, advised the defendant's counsel to always stand for the truth.

NAN reports that Enokela resigned from his job in 2011 after working for six years.

He then filed a suit against the owners of the school where he had worked --- Mrs Abolaji Osime, Mrs Abibo Oyin and Mr Theodoros Theodoros --- who are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants, for failure to pay his gratuity.

The claimant's Counsel, Rauf Oloyede, commended the judge for her hard work, stressing that there was no day she did not seat during the course of the case.

Enokela, the claimant expressed joy over the judgment, saying that there was hope for the defenseless in Nigeria.

He said that even though the court awarded him N1million as against the N5 million demanded for damages, he was still grateful and happy for justice served.