Budget Office Scandal: Director General Faces Courtroom Showdown Over Illegal Dismissal

• The Director General of the Budget Office and others are facing a case in court over the alleged illegal dismissal of a staff member.

• The claimant is seeking N550 million in damages and an order to compel the defendants to pay all her salaries.

• The matter has been adjourned until July 17th for the adoption of the final written address.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, along with other defendants including the Head of Service, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the Accountant General of the Federation, are facing a case in the National Industrial Court Abuja over the alleged illegal dismissal of civil servant and senior staff member Mrs. Bilkisu Sanusi.

The claimant is seeking N550 million in damages and an order from the court compelling the defendants to pay all her salaries, entitlements, fringe benefits, bonuses and all other benefits incidental to her position as a staff member of the Budget Office of the Federation, which allegedly amount to N214,250,000 that was illegally and unlawfully withheld.

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In February 2023, Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi ordered the defendants to open their defense, and on May 30th, they tendered exhibits and closed their defense.

Mrs. Sanusi had earlier filed a suit against the defendants’ alleged abuse of governmental powers to illegally and unlawfully withhold her salaries and entitlement for daring to expose alleged corrupt practices being perpetuated in the Budget office of the Federation.

Mrs. Sanusi claimed that her salaries and other entitlements were stopped by the defendants after she discovered and tried to expose monumental corrupt practices by some staff of the Ministry of Finance in the office of the Director General, Budget Office of the Federation.

She also claimed that the second defendant caused her secret and open files domiciled with the Budget Office of the Federation Registry to be removed and kept in an unknown place to frustrate her from proceeding on her retirement.

Additionally, she claimed that the second defendant instructed its allies in the finance department to withhold and deny her due financial and material benefits and rights incidental to her employment and office in the Budget Office of the Federation.

According to Mrs. Sanusi’s counsel, Martin Opara, she is asking the court to declare that the termination of her salaries and entitlements by the defendants is an illegal, unlawful and gross abuse of governmental powers.

She is also seeking an order of the court compelling the defendants to pay her all her salaries, entitlements, fringe benefits, bonuses and all other benefits incidental to her position as a staff member of the Budget Office of the Federation, amounting to N214,250,000 withheld by the defendants illegally and unlawfully.

Furthermore, she wants the court to compel the second defendant to release her secret and open files to enable her to proceed with the processing of her retirement.

Lastly, she is asking for N500 million in damages and N50 million for the inconveniences which the defendants made her suffer.

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The presiding Judge, Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi has adjourned the matter until July 17th for the adoption of the final written address.

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