The Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt has granted leave for an appeal filed by around 100 former employees of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA). They seek to overturn a 2025 decision by the National Industrial Court, which had blocked enforcement of a 2021 ruling ordering the Rivers State Government to pay their unpaid salaries. The workers claim the outstanding amount now exceeds ₦3 billion in accumulated wages and benefits.
The legal dispute originated in 2017, when the RSSDA placed the workers on indefinite suspension without pay, citing persistent funding shortages from the state government. In October 2021, the National Industrial Court ruled that the suspension was inconsistent with the terms of their employment, upheld their continued employment status, and ordered backpay from February 2017. However, it dismissed their separate ₦500 million claim for unfair labor practices. When the workers returned to court in 2025 to enforce the judgment, they argued that their unpaid wages had grown to over ₦3 billion due to ongoing employment without formal termination.
The National Industrial Court refused to issue an enforcement order, citing an unresolved appeal against the 2021 judgment. The workers’ legal team countered that the pending appeal was only an application for leave to appeal-not a full appeal-meaning no substantive legal challenge existed to prevent enforcement. The Court of Appeal agreed, removing the procedural obstacle that had delayed payment. The workers can now argue that the lower court incorrectly tied its hands to a non-substantive appeal, leaving them without recourse despite a clear legal ruling.
The 2021 judgment had already established several key legal points: the state government and RSSDA were jointly responsible for the workers’ employment, the indefinite suspension violated their contracts, and their employment remained active until formal termination. Despite these findings, the state has yet to pay the declared wages. Workers’ counsel, Isa Saidu, stated that the delay had caused severe hardship for families, including a claim that one worker had died by suicide due to financial strain—a claim not independently verified in court documents.
Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu oversaw the appeal hearing, where the state’s legal team did not oppose the workers’ request for leave. The Court of Appeal’s decision does not require immediate payment but removes the procedural barrier that had stalled enforcement.
The dispute dates back to January 2017, when the RSSDA issued suspension letters due to funding constraints.
