N40 Million Awarded to Lecturer for Wrongful Dismissal Following Baseless Plagiarism Claims

The National Industrial Court in Akure has ordered the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) to pay N40 million to Professor Niyi Akingbe, a former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, as compensation for wrongful dismissal.

The ruling, delivered by Justice K.D. Damulak on October 29, 2024, found that Professor Akingbe’s dismissal in 2018 was unlawful, particularly due to procedural failures and a lack of concrete evidence for the allegations made against him. The court’s decision was recorded under suit number NICN/AK/58/2018 and detailed multiple failings on the part of the university.

The case highlighted the dispute’s origins: Professor Akingbe, a critic of the university’s administration under former Vice Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, faced a sudden dismissal after being accused of plagiarism. The court found these allegations baseless, noting that the university had failed to identify any specific work that Akingbe had allegedly copied or misrepresented as his own.

Justice Damulak emphasized that the university’s disciplinary actions breached the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015, which outlines fair procedures for handling such claims. Notably, the court invalidated the Staff Disciplinary Committee’s findings, pointing to procedural irregularities and the lack of a fair hearing.

In his defense, Professor Akingbe’s counsel, Ademola Olowoyeye, argued that the plagiarism claims were unsupported by evidence, yet they led not only to Akingbe’s dismissal but also hindered his rightful promotion within the Department of English. The court agreed, declaring the dismissal void and affirming that Akingbe met all qualifications for his promotion to professor.

The judgment ordered FUOYE to compensate Professor Akingbe with N40 million within 30 days, warning that delays would incur a 10% annual interest on the amount owed.