The National Industrial Court in Akure has ordered the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) to compensate Professor Niyi Akingbe, former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, with N40 million for his wrongful dismissal.
Professor Akingbe was dismissed from FUOYE in 2018 following allegations of plagiarism. However, the court found the dismissal to be both unjust and lacking in evidence. A vocal critic of the university’s administration under former Vice-Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, Akingbe’s termination was based on accusations that were unproven and inadequately investigated.
Court documents, listed under Suit No: NICN/AK/58/2018, show that FUOYE neglected to follow the procedures outlined in the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015, as well as regulations governing the conduct of senior staff. Akingbe’s legal representative, Ademola Olowoyeye, argued that the plagiarism claims were vague and lacked sufficient proof.
The court also declared several other aspects of Akingbe’s dismissal unlawful, including the misconduct letters issued to him and the formation of a Staff Disciplinary Committee that evaluated the plagiarism allegations. Counsel argued that Akingbe met all requirements for a promotion to Professor in the Department of English and that denying this promotion over baseless allegations was illegal.
Honourable Justice K.D. Damulak, who presided over the case, ordered FUOYE to pay the N40 million compensation within 30 days, with an additional 10% interest per annum if the payment is delayed.
In his ruling, Justice Damulak stated, “The claimant’s case succeeds in part. For clarity, it is hereby declared and ordered as follows: a declaration that the plagiarism allegation cannot stand without evidence of a specific author or work that was allegedly copied by the claimant without acknowledgment.”
The judge also highlighted the lack of fair hearing, citing that FUOYE failed to produce an alleged external assessor’s report, which the claimant disputed as nonexistent. This absence of evidence was a key factor in deeming the dismissal as baseless.
Justice Damulak pointed out that Professor Akingbe was dismissed on October 31, 2018, yet the disciplinary committee report justifying this dismissal was only signed on November 7, 2018. This discrepancy further underscored the court’s findings of wrongful termination.
The judgment concluded, “The dismissal, issued without a fair hearing through a letter dated October 31, 2018, is null and void. The defendant is ordered to pay N40 million in general damages to the claimant within 30 days of this judgment, or it shall attract a 10% interest per annum.”
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