The National Industrial Court sitting at Lagos on 22nd of October struck out the application of Mr EkeneDili Chukwu Ilodibe seeking to strike out his name from the suit filed by the workers of Ekendilichukwu Transport Limited against Mr Ilodibe and the Company in Suit NICN/LA/358/2017 over payment of arrears of salaries owed to them for more than 3 years!
Mr Ilodibe while not denying that the workers were being owed salaries had contended in his motion that he was a mere Director in the company and was not the person who employed the workers!
In their counter affidavit the workers had stated that upon the demise of the founder of the Company Chief EkeneDili Chukwu Ilodibe in 2007, Mr Ilodibe being his 1st son had taken full control of the affairs of the company, in support of their argument they tendered letters he had written to various Banks where he addressed himself as the Group Managing Director of EkeneDilichukwu Transport Limited and requested that funds in the Company’s account be transfered to his personal account , the workers further stated that his mismanagement of the company had led to the non payment of their salaries and he had through his Counsels Messrs Adinuso Iheonu and Segun Demuren entered into negotiations with them led by their Counsel Chidozie Okoro Esq where he had agreed to pay them and only requested time to travel abroad for medical treatment and that he could effect payment when he returned , only for him to wish to remove his name from the suit on his return!
Counsel for the workers also argued that by entering into negotiations and meetings with the workers to settle the issue while the suit was pending ,he was Estopped by Conduct from now seeking to be removed as a party in the suit! The presiding Judge ,Justice Tijani struck out the motion of Mr Ilodibe agreeing with the Workers that they had a reasonable cause of action against Mr EkeneDili Chukwu Ilodibe ! Matter was adjourned to November 14 2018 for further hearing