Industrial Court Orders FUOYE to Compensate Professor Niyi Akingbe with N40 Million for Wrongful Dismissal
The National Industrial Court in Akure has ordered the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) to pay N40 million in compensation to Professor Niyi Akingbe for wrongful dismissal. Akingbe, who was dismissed in 2018 over plagiarism allegations, argued that the claims were unsubstantiated and denied him a fair hearing.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
In a significant ruling by the National Industrial Court in Akure, the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), has been ordered to pay N40 million to Professor Niyi Akingbe for wrongful dismissal. The judgement comes after a protracted legal battle that began in 2018 when Akingbe, a former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, was dismissed over alleged plagiarism.
The court, presided by Justice K.D. Damulak, concluded that the accusations against Akingbe were baseless and noted that FUOYE failed to follow due process as stipulated under the university’s regulations and the FUOYE Act of 2015. The case, documented under Suit No: NICN/AK/58/2018, highlighted procedural lapses by FUOYE, including the absence of evidence to support the plagiarism claims.
In his ruling, Justice Damulak emphasized that FUOYE’s dismissal of Akingbe lacked a fair hearing. He pointed out that the university did not produce a report from external assessors as evidence, which Akingbe claimed never existed. "The claimant's case succeeds in part," Damulak declared, describing the dismissal as "unlawful" and "without substance."
The judgement further outlined that the university had relied on an unsigned report from the staff disciplinary committee to justify the dismissal. Remarkably, the committee’s report was not finalized until November 7, 2018, several days after Akingbe’s dismissal on October 31, 2018.
Justice Damulak ordered FUOYE to pay Akingbe N40 million within 30 days of the ruling, or the sum will incur a 10% annual interest until fully paid. He underscored the lack of transparency and procedural fairness in Akingbe’s case, deeming the allegations vague and unsubstantiated.
Representing Akingbe, Counsel Ademola Olowoyeye argued that the plagiarism accusations were used as a pretext to deny his promotion to Professor in the Department of English. According to Olowoyeye, Akingbe had met all necessary requirements for the promotion, and the allegations were devoid of any credible evidence.
