Industrial Court Reinstates Sacked Ekiti Varsity Workers |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

After about ten months of legal tussle and anguish, 32 workers of the Ekiti State University, (EKSU) whose appointments were terminated, have cause to smile.

The Akure division of the National Industrial Court has ordered Ekiti State University, (EKSU) Ado Ekiti, to reinstate the 32 workers, who are technologists whose appointments were terminated last year.

The technologists were among those employed during the tenure of the immediate past Vice Chancellor, Prof Bandele.

In a suit, NICN/AD/03/2020, filed on behalf of the workers  by P.P. Monde and J.S. Balogun, Justice K.D. Damulake ruled that their disengagement was null and void, illegal, unlawful.

In the suit, Ogundipe Joshua Oluwafemi & 31 others, the Claimants had urged the Court to declare their sack as illegal and of no effect.

They also prayed the Court to order their reinstatement back to the former positions as well as pay their salaries and allowances.

Joined in the suit are Ekiti State University, the Governing Council and the Vice Chancellor.

Counsels for the defendants were Dayo Akinlaja, SAN, Genevieve Okoye, Oluwatosin Olanipekun and Adesola Edungola.

Justice Damulate also ordered  that the University  should pay three months salary owed the workers before the unlawful disengagement as well as salaries, emoluments and allowances from the date of their unlawful sack till their retirement.

The Judge pointed out that the Court orders should be carried out by the University within 30 days from the date of the judgement.