Court orders Yabatech to reinstate sacked whistle blower with full benefits

The National Industrial Court (NIC) on Thursday ordered the Yaba College of Education (Yabatech) to immediately reinstate Mr Olu Ibirogba who was sacked for exposing alleged corrupt practices in the school.

The presiding judge in the case, Justice O.A Obaseki-Osaghae also directed the institution to pay Ibirogba all outstanding salaries and benefits due to him since he was dismissed sometime in 2015.

In the judgement which had been earlier fixed for June 1, but shifted to today (June 7, the sum of N20 million was also awarded against Yabatech as punitive damages by the court.

Recall that Mr Ibirogba, an accountant in Yabatech had dragged the school to the NIC when he was suspended from duties, after he alleged that a former rector of the school, Dr. (Mrs) Margaret Kudirat Ladipo was involved in financial misappropriations and kickbacks, running into hundreds of millions of naira.

He was sacked along with seven other staff members who were said to have also spoken out against the level of corruption in the school.

The others are also challenging their dismissal from duties in separate suits.

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Ironically, the court in July 2015 had declared Ibirogba’s suspension illegal. But immediately he stepped out of the courtroom, he was handed a dismissal letter.

While delivering her judgment, Justice Obaseki-Osaghae lambasted the counsel to Yabatech, whom she said did not advise his client properly, noting that the action of the institution while the case lasted was a disrespect of the judicial process, and the rule of law.

She also directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) chairmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to commence investigations into the allegations of corruption raised by Mr Ibirogba In Yabatech, that led to his dismissal and sack.

The court also ordered Yabatech to restrain from any action that would jeopardize the the job of Ibirogba as an employee of the school.

Justice Obaseki-Osaghae who ordered the council of the school to pay Ibirogba all his accrued benefits, directed that this should be done within 30 days, or the monies would attract interest of 10 per cent.

Ripples Nigeria had done an investigative story on the plethora of graft in Yabatech, which unearthed a number of corrupt dealings in which Mrs Ladipo’s name were severally linked, along with a former PRO of the College, Mr Adekunle Adams.

Based on several petitions and complaints against the management of YabaTech under Mrs Ladipo, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in December 2015 instructed the Director, Tertiary Education Department, Mrs. Hindatu Umar Abdullahi to set up an Ad-Hoc Committee to investigate the allegations.
Ripples Nigeria got hold of the report from the six-man committee’s investigations containing the findings, observations and recommendations which for whatever reason were left to gather dust without follow-up action.

It was learnt that the new governing board of the institution had promised to sanitize the system, and adopt the recommendations of the investigative committee, but that is yet to be done, more than two years after the committee submitted its report and findings.

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