The University of Ibadan has continued to disregard a court order directing it to reinstate Dr Adenike Ogunshe, a senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan.
Dr Ogunshe had instituted a suit against the University of Ibadan following her dismissal by the school's governing council in 2016 over her refusal to vacate an office space.
The court, in its ruling on June 24, 2021 held that the defendants — the university and her governing council — had failed to comply with the applicable rules and regulations guiding the employment relationship relating to termination as stated in the university's staff information handbook of rules and regulations.
The court also held that the 'employment of a staff (member) with statutory flavour, who has been found guilty of misconduct cannot be terminated by the employer as presented in this case without full compliance with the established disciplinary procedure'.
Hence, the court ordered the immediate reinstatement of Dr Ogunshe to her position as senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology.
It also held that the university should pay her a sum of N13,607,028.08 as salary arrears of the claimant from August 15, 2016 to the date of the judgment.
However, 10 months after the court order, the university has failed to comply with the judgment.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, Dr Ogunshe berated the university’s disregard for court order as she also narrated how the university has continued to render assistance to those who assaulted her.
She described the action of the university as a means of punishing her.
She said, “They are just trying to be funny. I got judgment as far back as June 2021 , and we are in April and they are still saying they want to appeal. They don’t have any date, nothing. If you want to appeal, there are certain things you ought to do, which they have never did. I think they just want to continue their show of power.
“It does not make sense to me because you sacked somebody who has worked for 15 years because when you told her to move from one office to another and she said the office you asked her to move into is not safe.
“Does it make sense anywhere n the world that you are terminating somebody’s appointment because of an issue of safety?
“As far as they are concerned, they are punishing me. So, they can continue to extend the punishment for as long as they can go on. We were at the Senate, they were not able to affirm that they are on any appeal process.”
She also explained how the Head of Department punched her in front of her students and how the university hired a lawyer to defend the HOD in court.
“The Head of Department then came to my class and told me to stop teaching, so I went to the class to carry my bag and my laptop which I was using to present to the students.
“I did not know he followed me and as I was trying to go out of the class, he was blocking my way. So, I said, please can you let me go? The next thing I saw was two fists in my stomach. He punched me in my stomach. He was going to do it again, so I started screaming.
“I wrote the university three times but the university did not take any action. Funny enough, the first time we appeared in court, I found out that the university got a lawyer to defend that same lecturer.
“Also, In the residential quarters where I am staying, one of the tenants has been terrorizing me. I wrote the university about that also, but they have refused to do anything on it,” she said.
Dr Ogunshe said she has been unable to pay her lawyer the legal fees due to the school not obeying the court’s order by reinstating and her paying her.
“I have not been able to pay Barrister Femi Aborishade. He has been on the case for five years defending me but I did not have money to pay him,” she added.
She urged the University of Ibadan to respect the order of the court by reinstating her to her rightful position and also pay all her salary arrears and entitlements.
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