Court Dismisses Ex-NEPAD Coordinator’s ₦26m Suit Against Nasarawa Government
By Suleiman Abubakar Rimi Uku Lafia
The National Industrial Court sitting in Makurdi has dismissed a ₦26 million suit filed against the Nasarawa State Government by a former State Coordinator of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and former General Manager of the Nasarawa State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Mallam Maiwada Idris.
The claimant had sought the sum of ₦21 million as alleged outstanding salaries and ₦5 million as general damages, alongside six reliefs, including a declaration that he remained the substantive NEPAD Coordinator in Nasarawa State and payment of salaries from June 2007 to 2020.
The Nasarawa State Government and the Honourable Attorney General of the State, who were listed as the 2nd and 3rd defendants, challenged the suit through their counsel, A.I. Yakubu, from the chambers of the Attorney General.
The defence urged the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the claimant's appointment fell within the provisions of Section 208 of the 1999 Constitution, which vests such appointments at the discretion of the Governor and that the appointment had since lapsed by effluxion of time.
Delivering judgment on June 5, 2026, Justice E.D.E. Isele upheld the arguments of the Nasarawa State Government and the Attorney General, ruling that the claimant failed to establish his claims before the court.
The court consequently dismissed the suit in its entirety for lack of merit, bringing an end to the legal dispute over the claimant's alleged entitlement to salaries and damages.
