Alleged unlawful suspension: Court fixes date to hear suit against OGZAA

The National Industrial Court has fixed January 27 to hear a suit filed by a suspended staff of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority Administration, Funmilayo Omosule, for N50 million as exemplary and general damages following collapse in negotiation for out-of-court settlement.
The court had on the instruction of Justice Olufunke Anuwe availed parties with the new date in Abuja.
Both OGFZA and Omosule had been locked in fierce 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.
The agency had via a letter dated April 18, 2011 suspended Omosule as the manager of its Abuja office on the grounds that he refused to comply with its letter dated December 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 of his educational certificates/credentials, including GCE ‘O Level certificates and degree certificates, as instructed.
Omosule had 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 the West African Examination Council and University of Ado-Ekiti, then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti.
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 for 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 N50 million as exemplary and general damages.