The National Industrial Court on Monday fixed February 27 to hear the suit filed by a suspended staff of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority Administration (OGFZAA), Funmilayo Omosule.
The claimant is asking for N50m as exemplary and general damages, following the collapse in negotiation for out-of-court settlement.
Both OGFZA and Omosule have been locked in a legal battle to resolve the legality or otherwise of the plaintiff’s suspension, following his petition against some management staff of the agency on alleged corruption.
At resumed proceedings on Monday before Justice Olufunke Anuwe, the claimant’s counsel, Muktar B. Usman, and that of the respondent, M. A. Ayara, sought a date for commencement of the hearing.
After consultations, the court fixed February 27 for hearing.
Omosule is alleging that OGFZAA had through a letter dated April 18, 2011, suspended him as the manager of its Abuja office, on the grounds that he refused to comply with its letter dated Dec. 3, 2010, which had directed him to present the originals of his credentials for verification.
Omosule, however, refuted the claim of the authority, stating rather that he made available to the defendant, Certified True Copies (CTCs) of his educational certificates /credentials, including GCE ‘O Level certificates and degree certificates as instructed.
Omosule claimed that the originals of his credentials were misplaced in untraceable circumstances as at 2010 when the report to submit originals was made.
The claimant also averred that the CTCs of his certificates submitted to the defendant were certified by the issuing institutions, which included West African Examination Council and the University of Ado-Ekiti, then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti respectively.
The claimant is, therefore, seeking the court ‘s declaration that he was still a staff of the organisation and entitled to all the rights, privileges and benefits due to him by reason of his employment.
He is praying the court for an order directing the defendant to reinstate him to the position of a director, on grade level 17, a position he claimed his contemporaries were currently.
Omosule is equally seeking the order of the court to direct the defendant to pay all his outstanding salaries, benefits, and entitlement since 2011.
In addition, he is asking the court to order the defendant to pay him the sum of N50m as exemplary and general damages.
