Three former workers of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) have commenced committal proceedings in opposition to the BPE Director-Common, Ayodeji Gbeleyi, over his alleged refusal to adjust to a subsisting judgment of the Nationwide Industrial Court docket, Abuja, relating to their over 20-year-old N112 million pension and gratuity claims.
This was disclosed in a Type 48 dated February 23, 2026, filed by Akpama Ekwe, counsel to Mr. Mohammed S. Liadi, Chief U. Okpa-Obaji, and Mr. A.O. Sadiq.
The shape, titled “Discover of Penalties of Disobedience to Orders of Court docket,” was addressed to the Director-Common, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ayodeji Gbeleyi.
In line with court docket processes seen by Nairametrics, the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the Attorney General of the Federation are listed as respondents.
Based mostly on court docket paperwork reviewed by Nairametrics, the three former workers sued the BPE and the Attorney General of the Federation in 2021, looking for a declaration that they’re entitled to pension and gratuity and that their former employer be compelled to pay them.
Of their affidavits, the claimants acknowledged that they had been employed by the Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation (TCPC), now often called the Bureau of Public Enterprises, in 1989, 1988, and 1991, respectively.
Their lawyer argued that their employments had been confirmed and that they had been promoted throughout their years of service.
The claimants added that in 2019, their solicitor wrote to the BPE and the AGF demanding fee of their pension and gratuity, however the BPE maintained in its reply that it had no pension scheme in place on the time they left service.
The BPE’s authorized staff filed a discover of preliminary objection, urging the Industrial Court docket to strike out or dismiss the go well with for need of jurisdiction, arguing that the declare was statute-barred.
In line with the BPE, the claimants filed the go well with on July 1, 2020, though they’d resigned from the company on September 30, 2000 — about 20 years earlier than instituting the motion.
In its judgment, the Nationwide Industrial Court docket held that the claimants’ proper to pension and gratuity is assured by the Structure.
The court docket additionally dominated that the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act makes provision for pension and gratuity for BPE workers and that the company can not deny the claimants such rights or advantages.
The court docket described the BPE’s refusal to pay the claimants’ entitlements since 2000 as “merciless, repugnant and condemnable.”
The decide granted the reliefs sought and ordered the BPE to pay N10 million collectively to the claimants as damages for the delay.
In line with the enrolled orders of the Court docket of Appeal, the BPE appealed the Nationwide Industrial Court docket’s judgment in 2022.
No date has been fastened for the contempt proceedings earlier than the Industrial Court docket.
