THE Ibadan Division of the National Industrial Court presided over by the Honourable Justice John Peters has ordered the University of Ibadan to immediately reinstate Dr Adenike A. O. Ogunshe, whose appointment was terminated by the institution on June 14, 2016.
Dr Ogunshe, who is of the Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, was sacked by the institution over her alleged refusal to vacate her office for another lecturer, which she alleged was not secure.
Following the termination of her appointment, Dr Ogunshe sued the institution and its Council through her counsel, Mr Femi Aborisade, human rights lawyer and activist, to the court describing the termination as unlawful and prayed the court for reinstatement.
Delivering judgment on June 24, 2021, Justice John Peters said the University of Ibadan failed to comply with the rules and regulations guiding the employment relationship with respect to termination of Dr Ogunshe’s appointment.
Justice Peters said the issue of relocation of office that led to the alleged termination of the claimant’s appointment started in 2006 and was left hanging until 2013 when the claimant was issued a query.
The judge said the court found out that the issue was escalated by the claimant’s insistence that rules and regulations be followed in the appointment of Head of Department and students who did not attend classes being allowed to write final examinations against the known laid down rules and regulations of the institution.
Justice Peters declared the termination of Dr Ogunshe’s appointment by the institution as unlawful, null, void, and of no effect for non-compliance with the applicable rules.
The judge further set aside the letters of termination of appointment issued on June 14, 2016, and August 15, 2016, by the University of Ibadan to Dr Ogunshe.
He ordered the immediate reinstatement of Dr Ogunshe to her position as senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology of the institution without loss of benefits, prerequisites of office, promotion, and remunerations.
The judge further ordered the institution to pay Dr Ogunshe the sum of N13,607,028 being her salary arrears from August 15, 2016, to the date of the judgment.
“I order and direct the defendants to pay the claimant all her arrears of salaries from the date of termination of her appointment till the date of this judgment,” Justice Peters said, as he also ordered the institution to pay the sum of N200,000 being the cost of the proceedings.
