The National Industrial Court of Nigeria sitting in Yenagoa,
Bayelsa state has ordered the reinstatement of four out of seven
lecturers demoted by the management of the Federal University, Otuoke,
in Ogbia local council area of the state and awarded N20 million fine to
the school as damages to affected lecturers.
The
University management had in 2018 demoted a Professor and 6 other
lecturers with doctorate degrees over what it termed as “lack of
requisite scholarship”
Those
affected are; Dr. Steve Nwabuzor, who was downgraded from the rank of
Professor to Lecturer 1; Dr. Leonard K Shilgba, downgraded from the rank
of Professor to Senior Lecturer; Dr. Timothy Falade Obalade, downgraded
from the rank of Associate Professor to Senior Lecturer; Dr. Felina
Nwadike, downgraded from Associate Professor to Senior Lecturer.
Others
were; Dr. Sepribo Lawson-Jack, downgraded from the rank of Associate
Professor to Lecturer 1; Dr. Marcellina Offoha, downgraded from the rank
of Associate Professor to Lecturer 1; and Dr. Evans Eze, downgraded
from the rank of Associate Professor to Lecturer 2.
Dissatisfied
with the institution’s authority decision, four out of seven of the
affected lecturers filed a suit at the National Industrial Court of
Nigeria siting in Yenagoa on 2019, with a suit number; NICN/YEN01/2019.
Delivering
the judgement on the dispute on Monday, the Presiding Judge, Justice
Bashiru Alkali ruled that claimants be reinstated to their full status,
privileges and entitlements by the institution.
Justice
Alkali also mandated the institution management to pay each claimant
N5 million for defamation and two hundred thousand each for cost of
litigation.
We
gathered that all the litigants had returned from the Diaspora to serve
in the institution upon the establishment of the Federal University,
in 2011 by Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The
University management had in 2018 offered reasons why the seven
lecturers were demoted and six non-teaching staff sacked over “lack of
requisite scholarship and absconding from the school.”
The
Registrar, Mr. Iruo Yousuo, in a statement then, stated that the
Governing Council of Federal University, Otuoke at its 10th meeting made
key decisions involving appointments and discipline including the
resolution to sanitise the system in order to take the university to the
greater height.
According to
him, “Consequently, the Governing Council of the Federal University
Otuoke have re-classified some academic appointments by downgrading
seven teaching staff appointments to lower ranks for lack of requisite
scholarship.”
Reacting to the judgement, the
counsel to the claimants, Barr Okoko Mark, expressed happiness that the
justice has been done to the affected lecturers, noting that the court
had granted all their relieves.
He
said: “The judgement has been delivered in favour of the claimants,
ordering for their reinstatement and awarded damages to them. The
judgement is to be complied with within the next 30 days.”