Court reverses suspension of FHA Homes MD

The National Industrial Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has reversed the suspension of Roland Igbinoba, managing director, FHA Homes Limited.

Justice Maureen Ewose, who made the order, also restrained the respondents from enforcing a suspension letter given to the applicant.
Igbinoba, in the suit numbered NICN/ABJ/194/2015, has filed a Notice of Consequence of Disobedience of Court Order, dated June 24.

The notice warned Mohammed Al-Amin, managing director/CEO, Federal Housing Authority (FHA), of the consequences of disobeying the order.

The notice reads: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order, you will be in contempt of court and be liable to be committed to prison.”

Also warned in the Notice is Haytuddeen Awwal Atiku, acting managing director, FHA Homes Limited.

The court had granted an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents, including FHA, FHA Homes and Al-amin, their directors or agents from implementing a letter dated June 2, 2015, written by Al-amin to the applicant purportedly suspending Igbinoba from office.

The court made an order directing FHA and Al-amin to reverse all the steps taken by them based on the suspension letter.

The orders were made following an affidavit of urgency filed on Igbinoba’s behalf by his lawyer, C. Okafor. Justice Esowe said: “The court believes that unless and until this application is granted, there will be serious breach of the peace and the res (subject-matter) in this case cannot be righted and/or restored, if it is upset.”

The orders are to subsist pending the hearing and determination of the applicant’s motion on notice.

Igbinoba, – a tested mortgage banking professional, was head-hunted from his Lagos base to come and turnaround the fortunes of the mortgage finance institution in 2013.

He was ordered to proceed on suspension so that several allegations raised against him could be investigated.

Igbinoba denied the allegations and filed the instant suit, which has been adjourned for hearing till July 16.