Retired Judges’ Entitlements: JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN Issues 14-Day Ultimatum to Gov. Ododo, Threatens Legal Action
FULL TEXT
How this unnecessarily protracted issue escaped my memory still confound me . I can recall that when I took up the Governor and the Government of Osun State up over the long overdue unpaid allowances and rightful entitlements of the judicial officers of Osun State in my 2024 piece in respect of the non-payment of the entitlements and allowances due to the judicial officers in Osun State.
I received a call from one of the finest minds that ever adorned the bench of this country, the cerebral, erudite , articulate , very forthright and incorruptible Honourable Justice Alaba Omolaye -Ajileye ( Rtd) who called me on phone and urged me to please assist in liberating the judicial officers of Kogi State too who are equally suffering in silence from the the tyranny and oppression of the Kogi State Governor and the Kogi State Government.
- Advertisement -
I gave Honourable Justice Alaba Ajileye my words of assurance that I will take up the matter and ensure that all their due allowances and entitlements are paid to them in the same way and manner that I fought for the judicial officers in Osun State.
It is pertinent that I must commend the Governor of Osun State, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Jackson Adeleke for promptly acceding to my demands then by settling all the outstanding entitlements due to the judicial officers in Osun State at that time without waiting for the ultimatum that I gave the State to elapse and thus preventing the need for a recourse to filing unnecessary litigations and its attendant costs and time.
The Governor of Osun State further earned my greatest respect and adoration because, even though government is a continuum, he merely inherited those backlog of unpaid allowances and dues owed the judicial officers in the state from the two previous governments of APC in the State while the government under his stewardship didn’t owe any single judicial officer or public or civil servant in the state a dime or a penny. Kudos to the jolly good fellow , amiable, no dull moment , every smiling and always dancing Governor of Osun State.
Kudos must also be given to one of the media aides of the Governor of Osun State in person of Mr. Tunde Busari who did not only call me on phone, but who also drove down to meet me in Ibadan to explain to me the challenges their government was facing over the matter and assured me that the Governor was working round the clock to ensure payment of same soonest.
Please permit my digression and let me return to the callous , abnormal and irresponsible witholding and or non- payment of the due entitlements and allowances of the judicial officers in Kogi State and all other states where such breach and rape of the rights of judicial officers and and those of any other persons for that matter may be occurring in the country. I condemn such acts of misgovernance and trample on human rights of fellow citizens as a display of executive recklessness, tyranny, oppression and anti-people. It is even a genocide targeted at the smooth administration of justice with a view to truncate and pervert same.
I have always formed the opinion that whenever any Government behaves irresponsibly and unconstitutionally, it behoves on the people to x-ray critically the character of the person occupying the position of the Honorable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in that government to fully understand the reasons for the drift of that government towards perfidy and malady and same would be readily known.
Similar situation like those of Osun and Kogi States was foisted upon the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the father of the modern Oyo State upon his assumption of office on the 29th day of May, 2011.
Some 11 ( Eleven) retired Judicial Officers in Oyo State which included 5 (five)former Chief Judges and or Acting Chief Judges – Hon. Justices N. O. Adekola , M. O. Adio, Afolabi Adeniran , R. O. Oyetunde and J. O. Ige all now of blessed memories and some other 6)Six) retired judges that included Hon. Justices T. O. Adeniran, K. A. Jimoh, L. O. Arasi , Atilade Ojo, S. O. Akinola, and A. A.Sanda all now of blessed memories made several appeals and entreaties to the government of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala to pay them their severance allowances and gratuities in accordance with the extant provisions of the Entitlements of Judicial Officers as prescribed by National Wages and Salaries Commission. When all appeals and various letters they wrote to the state government fell on deaf ears , the retired judicial officers sued the state government for their due entitlements. An Amazon on the Bench, Honorable Justice Eni Esan( now retired) before whom the matter was assigned courageously granted all the reliefs of the Claimant Judges and ordered the State Government to pay to the retired judges all their due entitlements.
Instead of complying with the judgement and do the needful, the PDP government of Otunba Alao-Akala appealed against the judgement at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan.
We inherited that appeal upon our assumption of office in May 2011. When the retired judicial officers wrote to my Governor and also endorsed a copy to me, I did not wait for the directive of the Governor before I directed the Director of Civil Litigation to withdraw the appeal from the Court of Appeal.
It is on record that I promptly prepared a memorandum to the Governor and render legal advice that we should settle all the due entitlements of the retired judicial officers forthwith and also with a written apology. The Governor approved the memo and all the due entitlements and allowances of the judges were fully paid.
Hon. Justice Arasi copiously referenced that purposeful governance of our government in his autobiography and was full of praises and commendation for the Government, the Governor and my goodself as the Attorney-General of the State at that material time while he also condemned the irresponsible acts and mis-governance by the government that we succeeded.
Without wasting more time and in order not to bore my readers unnecessarily, I do hereby give 14 days ultimatum to the Governor and the Government of Kogi State to settle all the due entitlements and allowances of the retired judicial officers in Kogi State , failing which I shall proceed to a competent of jurisdiction to file an action to compel the government to pay same and also ask for damages and punitive costs in respect of the those dues entitlements and allowances.
Injustice to one anywhere is injustice to all everywhere. Irresponsible and non-responsive government must not be tolerated anywhere within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dated at Ibadan, this Monday, the 19th day of January,2026
JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN,
Asiwaju of Ita-Ege & Idi-Aro,
Ward 5,
Ibadan South-East Local Government Area
AND
Agba-Ofin of Orile-Igbon,
Surulere Local Government Area,
Oyo State of Nigeria
+2348033275495
+2348181585848
Email: adebayoojo90@gmail,com
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 19TH 2026)
