NewStats: 3,263,667 , 8,180,937 topics. Date: Saturday, 07 June 2025 at 07:33 AM 3r5p15

Nigerian High Court Stops Omehia From Refunding N696Million Received As Pension, Other Benefits As ‘Former Rivers Governor’

Justice Daketima Kio of the Rivers State High Court has declared that Mr Celestine Omehia cannot be held able for the payment of millions of naira in pension benefits from the state government.

The judge noted this while delivering judgment in the suit brought by Omehia against the Rivers State Governor, Attorney General of the State, Speaker, and the State House of Assembly, challenging the directive of the government to refund over N696 million paid to him as pension and other benefits until his derecognition.

The court also declared that Omehia could not be held liable for the errors of the defendants in the suit, even as it acknowledged that Omehia had never officially served as governor of Rivers State under proper interpretation of the governor and deputy governor pension and free benefits law.

The court added that the state pension law precludes him from benefiting from the pension scheme.

Justice Kio emphasised that Omehia never sought recognition from the state government or the House of Assembly and thus cannot legitimately demand the funds paid to him erroneously.

Affirming the Supreme Court’s characterization of Omehia as an imposter, the court held that he should not be accorded the status of a former governor or benefit from the governor and deputy governor pension law.

The court refrained from awarding costs in favour of any party, directing that each party should bear its costs.

Counsel for the Rivers State Government and House of Assembly, Success Gibert, expressed satisfaction with the aspect of the judgment favouring his clients.

However, he declined to comment on the ruling regarding the repayment of funds by the claimant, stating that the government will address the matter accordingly.

Counsel for Omehia declined to comment on the judgment.

In a related development, the Socio-Economic Rights and ability Project (SERAP) on Sunday urged President Bola Tinubu to obey a court judgment ordering the Nigerian government to recover pensions collected by former governors.

SERAP asked President Tinubu "to emulate the good example of governor Alex Otti of Abia State by immediately obeying the judgment ordering the Federal Government to recover pensions collected by former governors, and to challenge the legality of states' pension laws permitting those involved to collect such outrageous pensions".

According to the civil society organisation, the judgment, dated November 16, 2019, was delivered by Honourable Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo following a suit by SERAP.

Mr Otti recently signed into law the bill to repeal 'The Abia State Governors and Deputy Governors Pensions Law No 4 of 2001', after it was ed by the House of Assembly.

Under the law that was repealed, former governors and deputy governors in the state were paid lifetime salaries and got houses in Abia and Abuja.

In the letter dated March 13, 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: "We urge you to emulate the good example of governor Otti by urgently obeying the judgment, something which former president Muhammadu Buhari blatantly failed to do.

"Unless the judgment is immediately obeyed, former governors and their deputies including those now serving as ministers in your istration and of the National Assembly who receive pensions would continue to evade justice for their actions.”

The letter read in part: "SERAP agrees with former president Olusegun Obasanjo's conclusion that states' pension laws are 'acts of daylight robbery', and his call for such laws to be abolished by other state governors.”

SERAP identified those reportedly receiving double emoluments and large severance benefits from their states as including Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Kabiru Gaya (Kano); Theodore Orji (Abia).

It said, "Others are Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara); Joshua Dariye (Plateau), and Jonah Jang (Plateau).

"At least 22 states starting from Lagos State have reportedly ed life pensions laws for former governors and other ex-public officials. Other states include Akwa Ibom; Edo; Delta; Ekiti; Kano; Gombe; Yobe; Borno; Bauchi; Abia; Imo; Bayelsa; Oyo; Osun; Kwara; Ondo; Ebonyi; Rivers; Niger; Kogi; and Katsina.”

https://saharareporters.com/2024/03/26/nigerian-high-court-stops-omehia-refunding-n696million-received-pension-other-benefits

Una hear? So if bank mistakingly transfers money into your , it is not your fault if you chop the money and cannot be forced to refund.

Another humiliation for Wike(D) the expired God father

Seriously

Tinubu will pretend not to see it. Fake integrity for 8years did nothing.

Omehia has received his palliative.

Hold your carton of indomie well ooooo. No allow any court intimidate you.

The way millions of Naira are mentioned like its thousands of Naira will never cease to amaze me. Policians just waste and loot millions. Na wa!

See as these people are cutting wike's influence in Rivers state. The analogy that nobody can rule for ever is true. Wike need to cow down totally cos what's coming for him may be too much for him to bear. They are seriously relegating him to the ground in Rivers state.

atiku4President:
Una hear? So if bank mistakingly transfers money into your , it is not your fault if you chop the money and cannot be forced to refund.

You just talk wetin dey my mind

Olele toba wonu eko kole jade mooo.
That's how the judge see the case

Mehn... Wike dey chop beatings these days

Fubara is now playing the silent but deadly games. That guy adviser na bad ass.

I feel for Wike my guy ooo

May be there is something happening

Nothing concern me but E dey mind

"Justice Kio emphasised that Omehia never sought recognition from the state government or the House of Assembly and thus cannot legitimately demand the funds paid to him erroneously".

slimfit1:
Tinubu will pretend not to see it. Fake integrity for 8years did nothing.

He sees it,he knows...He actually introduced to our polity,Asiwaju for a reason

Ironically, the president is one of them. As governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, his istration was the first to chart this unpopular policy course, which has now careened into more than half of the 36 states of the federation. This is despicable.


Lagos State set this noxious ball rolling in 2007 with a law that provides a former governor life pension at the rate of N30 million per annum; a house in Lagos and Abuja for those who served two ; six brand new cars every three years; free medical care for him and his family ; and a retinue of domestic servants. Successive governors after the class of 2007 have upped the ante

https://www.timesng.com/opinion/editorial/618172-editorial-the-illegality-of-ex-governors-collecting-both-salaries-and-pensions-as-ministers.html

Just imagine the kinds of illegality being legalised by the Nigerian courts.

Power sorry money has changed hands

So pe o ti lo

We hear

Power is transient indeed, who knows tomorrow?

Power is power.

Nonsense

Lol na him birthright....

I no see where karma Dey runfast past rivers state in Nigeria .Study that state from 1999 till now.

Stupid politicians making stupid laws to enrich themselves more even after out of power. What is he going to do with all that money? Scarce public resources for that matter

Heheheh, wike how far

In wonder why this is being celebrated

atiku4President:
Una hear? So if bank mistakingly transfers money into your , it is not your fault if you chop the money and cannot be forced to refund.

Na wetin you understand for the post be that?

Barr Wike hand work

Nigeria too hard, nobody is smiling at all. Today I want to put a smile on your face, with only fifteen Kay, I go give you three quality vintage shirts. See my thread for update

An era must come to an end! But Wike will never take this assertion. Maybe he's waiting for a public disgrace

Nigerian judiciary is something else,
But what happens if such or even less is mistakenly transferred to a poor man's .
Will Nigeria ever gets better?