The senior staff filed a NOK 150 million lawsuit against JAMB for alleged wrongful dismissal

The Deputy Chairman of the Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Mr Isa Usman, has filed a N150 million lawsuit against the board, alleging wrongful dismissal.

Usman is seeking nine reliefs in a case tagged NICN/ABJ/266/2023 filed at the National Industrial Court in Abuja by Oseni Bamigbai, a lawyer at Mohammed Shuaib Law Firm.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Usman is the plaintiff in the suit filed on September 29, 2023, with JAMB as the sole defendant.

 

The petitioner asks the court to declare that the composition of the Recruitment Committee  of the Board of Directors established by the authority is completely illegal, illegal, invalid and not in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 3.5.4 of the Staff Guidelines, Rules. Eng. Rules of the Board. He also wants the court to declare that the establishment of the committee, consisting mostly of the Administrative Registrar and other directors, was instrumental in the irregularities he exposed, explained in paragraph 6 of the page 5 of 3 March. pay. "The applications on April 2023 and March 31 2023 are illegal and invalid."

 

The argument is based  on the fact that the right to a fair trial before the committee does not exist.

Usman also asked the court to declare that "the actions of the defendants in dismissing the petitioner without considering the report of the assembly committee are alleged to be illegal, if the legal and illegal."

The petitioner seeks an order to vacate the Commission's order "reprimanding" him and asks the court to reinstate him  "with all the rights, benefits and privileges conferred by  his position. " I request an order to do so.

 

He is seeking "an order awarding the plaintiff all back wages, back wages and benefits except for the one dismissed."

 “It is an order that the defendant proposes to appoint the plaintiff to the position of Director of Finance and Accounts because he is the  senior director and qualified  in the Department of Finance. The current Director of Finance and Accounts (DFA) will attain the age of 60 years from May 9, 2022. He will hold the post without any rule. “The total cost is one hundred and fifty million naira (150 million naira).”

 

"The costs of this action are reasonable attorneys' fees."

In his statement of facts,  Usman said he joined JAMB on September 11, 1997 as a deputy accountant and was promoted several times on the board as deputy director. According to him, when he was sacked, he had been working in the  government for eight years as a deputy director and then as a secretary to the government.

He said that his professional education, training, experience and personal principles have made him "a responsible, honest, transparent, intelligent and anti-corruption person who does not care about any kind of difference." He said this caused conflict with the county administration, who saw it as a disability that needed to be removed.

 

He said his commitment to integrity and avoidance of malpractices led him to file complaints about financial transactions in the country with the JAMB administration, Directorate of Services, EFCC, ICPC and the Department of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education. . Submit it to the Board of Directors.

 

 Usman said it was regrettable that  these measures were not supported by the administration of the council, especially the Chairman of the Council, Professor Ishaku Oloyede.

NAN  reviewed at least 33 letters  in court documents in which the petitioners disclosed to the committee various irregularities related to procurement, accounting and labor laws, and violations of ethics, civil laws and regulations. It was written that the letter was sent to a government agency. In this regard, Usman says that due to physical and health problems he has been transferred several times despite repeated requests.

According to him, the accused, despite being physically disabled and separated from his family, traveled dangerously from Abuja to Kogi, Kaduna and Port Harcourt and returned to Kaduna  within five years. . That's the way it is.

 

He argued that the transfer was meant to relieve him of the board's important duties and  avoid  concerns about large-scale interference. He added that a false case has been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja (FHC) seeking his removal.

 

"Despite all these challenges, claimants have been able to fulfill their duties and responsibilities with strength and gratitude," he said.

Justice Osathhammwen Obaseki Osage adjourned the matter to March 11 for further deliberations as  representatives of JAMB did not attend Monday's hearing. The judge also ordered that  notice of the hearing be  served on the defendant on the adjourned date.

According to NAN, on June 14, 2023, the police appeared before FHC Judge Nkeonye Maha  for allegedly threatening Usman. Rahimat Oloyede's husband, especially the Registrar, Professor Ishaku on the phone. siege. JAMB threw out a door.

However, when the parties returned to court, Usman's lawyer told the FHC court that both parties should submit to the authority of the court and respect the authority of the court, and the court's jurisdiction continues until the trial is resumed. In the process, his client tells him that he has been fired. and support the prosecutor's decision.