ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE,Yenagoa
National Industrial Court (NIB) sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has upturned the demotion of an Associate Professor of Modern Medicines, Dr. Timothy Falade-Obalade Adedapo, by the authorities of the Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State.
FUO had demoted him from Associate Professor to Senior Lecturer.
The court declared that the action of the institution was illegal, null and void.
The court also awarded the sum of N5 million in damages to Adedapo over the decision of the institution for wrongly questioning his qualifications and ridiculing him before the public.
The presiding judge, Justice Bashar Alkali, in his ruling on suit No. NIC/YEN/2019 and filed by Dr. Timothy Falade-Obalade Adedapo (claimant) against Federal University, Otuoke and a former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Seth Accra Jaja (defendants), declared that the demotion of Dr. Adedapo from the position of Associate Professor to Senior lecturer of the institution was of no effect and null and void.
On the alleged defamation of character and qualifications, Justice Alkali ruled that the defamatory aspect of the claim by the FUO against the claimant was reckless and against normal practice.
The judge said: “They ought to have investigated that he did not have the scholarship to qualify him as associate professor. I declare that the sum of N5m be paid as damages to the claimant.”
Adedapo had prayed the court to declare that his purported conversion of pensionable appointment to a contract appointment was ultra vires and contrary to the Federal University, Otuoke (Establishment) Act, 2015, the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and all known practices
He prayed the court to declare that the purported re-classification of the appointment of the claimant by the defendants from the position of an Associate Professor to Senior Lecturer on the grounds that the claimant did not have the requisite scholarship at the point of entry without hearing from the claimant was ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void.