Sad State Of The NPFL! Players, Coaches Drag Nasarawa United To Court Over Unpaid Entitlements

Nasarawa United players and coaches have dragged the Lafia-based club to an industrial court in the Plateau State capital of Jos over their unpaid salaries, allowances and signing-on fees.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Nasarawa State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice was joined in the suit filed before Justice Kenneth Amadi.

In the originating summons, Paul Hammachi, who is the counsel for the players and the five coaches, claimed that the club sacked them and refused to pay their entitlements totaling N182.54m (N136. 2m for the players and N46.35m for the coaches).

The five coaches (Evans Ogenyi, Sylvester Ekoja, Michael Jatau, Bala Nikyu and El Shammah Inusa) were sacked in 2015.

They disclosed that the aforementioned sum (N182.54 m) was scrutinised and awarded to them on September 10, 2015 by the Nigeria Football Federation Players’ Status and Arbitration Committee, Abuja.

Via the affidavit, they said: “But, two years after this arbitration, the club and the Nasarawa State Government have not paid us.”

The plaintiffs told the court to enforce the verdict since it was, in itself, equal to a judgement of the court.

During proceedings on Monday, Ishaku Usman, the counsel for the defendants and the Solicitor General of Nasarawa State, pleaded with the court for extension of time.

He thereafter requested for an adjournment and it was granted by Justice Amadi, who adjourned the case until January 24, 2018 for further mention.