A former Professor and lecturer at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) in Ekiti State, Niyi Akingbe, is set to receive a compensation of N40 million following his wrongful dismissal from the institution. The compensation order was handed down by the National Industrial Court in Akure, following a prolonged legal battle. The court’s ruling comes after nearly six years of litigation, during which Akingbe, a former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts at FUOYE, fought to clear his name of the allegations that led to his dismissal.
Professor Akingbe was dismissed from his position in 2018, reportedly due to allegations of plagiarism. Prior to his dismissal, he had been a vocal critic of the university's leadership, particularly under former Vice Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, who was the one responsible for terminating his employment. It was suggested that his outspoken nature against the administration contributed to the charges brought against him.
However, in a fresh development, the National Industrial Court declared that the plagiarism allegations leveled against Akingbe were baseless and lacked sufficient evidence to justify his dismissal. The court also emphasized that the university had failed to follow the proper procedures as outlined in the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015, as well as the regulations governing senior staff service conditions.
The court’s decision was delivered by Honourable Justice K.D Damulak, who ruled that the dismissal was done without providing Akingbe with a fair hearing. This, according to the court, rendered the dismissal null and void. As part of the ruling, the court ordered that the defendant—FUOYE—pay the claimant general damages of N40,000,000 within 30 days. Should the payment not be made within the prescribed time frame, the sum will attract a 10% interest per annum.
The judgement concluded with a statement: “A declaration that the claimant’s dismissal vide letter dated 31st October 2018 without fair hearing is null and void. The defendant is hereby ordered to pay the claimant general damages assessed at N40,000,000 (Forty million Naira only) within Thirty days of this judgement, or the sum shall attract 10% interest per annum. This is the judgement of the court and it is hereby entered.” The ruling marks a significant victory for Professor Akingbe, who has spent years fighting against what he considered an unjust dismissal. The decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for the governance of Nigerian universities and the treatment of academic staff under such allegations.