The National Industrial Court in Akure has ruled in favor of Professor Niyi Akingbe, the former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), awarding him N40 million as compensation for wrongful dismissal.
The court declared that Akingbe’s termination in 2018 over alleged plagiarism was unjust and conducted without adherence to due process.
In the case, filed under Suit No: NICN/AK/58/2018, Akingbe’s counsel, Ademola Olowoyeye, successfully argued that the allegations against his client were vague and lacked credible evidence. The court found that FUOYE violated the provisions of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015 and the regulations governing senior staff service conditions.
Delivering the judgment, Hon. Justice K. D. Damulak stated, “The claimant’s case succeeds in part. The allegation of plagiarism cannot stand in the absence of specific evidence, such as the work or publication allegedly plagiarized and the part of it purportedly copied without acknowledgment.”
The court also noted procedural lapses in Akingbe’s dismissal. Justice Damulak highlighted that the Staff Disciplinary Committee’s report, which formed the basis for the dismissal, was signed on November 7, 2018, a week after Akingbe’s termination letter was issued on October 31, 2018.
“Dismissal without a signed and issued report as of the dismissal date lacks substance and violates the principles of fair hearing. Consequently, the dismissal is null and void,” the judge ruled.
The court further criticized FUOYE for failing to produce external assessors’ reports as evidence, which Akingbe claimed did not exist. This omission, the judge said, supported the presumption that the dismissal was baseless.
In addition to overturning the dismissal, the court awarded N40 million in general damages to Akingbe, to be paid within 30 days or with an annual interest rate of 10%.
Reacting to the ruling, the judgment underscored the importance of fair hearing and adherence to due process in disciplinary actions. Akingbe had been a vocal critic of administrative practices under FUOYE’s former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, and his case has drawn attention to governance issues in Nigerian universities.
The ruling is a significant reminder to institutions to ensure procedural fairness in their disciplinary processes to uphold the rights of employees.
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