The National Industrial Court in Akure has ordered the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), to pay N40 million to Professor Niyi Akingbe, the former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, as compensation for wrongful dismissal.
The ruling, delivered by Honorable Justice K.D. Damulak on October 29, 2024, concluded a six-year legal battle initiated under suit no NICN/AK/58/2018.
The court found that Akingbe's termination in 2018 was unjust and based on unfounded plagiarism allegations.
Justice Damulak emphasized that such allegations could not stand without specifying the original work purportedly plagiarized and noted that Akingbe was not given a fair hearing prior to his dismissal. The judge declared the dismissal letter dated October 31, 2018, as null and void.
In addition to the monetary compensation, the court mandated that FUOYE pay the amount within 30 days or face a 10% annual interest penalty. The court proceedings revealed that the university failed to follow proper procedures as outlined in the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015.
Akingbe's counsel, Ademola Olowoyeye, argued during the trial that the plagiarism claims were vague and lacked substantial evidence.
The court also addressed other issues, including the illegality of misconduct letters against Akingbe and the improper formation of the Staff Disciplinary Committee that investigated him.
Akingbe has been a vocal critic of FUOYE's administrative practices under former Vice Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, who dismissed him following a query related to plagiarism.
The court's ruling reinforces Akingbe's position that he met all requirements for promotion to Professor in the Department of English and that his denial was unlawful.
