N325m Benefit: 29 reinstated Unilorin staff threaten suit
The 29 reinstated staff of University of Ilorin have threatened legal action over non- payments of their salaries and allowances, totalling N325 million.
A Federal High Court in Ilorin had, in 2013, ruled that the 29 staff of the university be reinstated and their salaries and allowances paid.
The affected staff, attached to the University of Ilorin Secondary School before their appointments were terminated in August 2007, are angry with the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abdulganiu Ambali, for failing to pay them since the judgement was delivered five years ago.
They had challenged the termination of their appointments at a Federal High Court in Ilorin, where they secured the court judgement ordering their reinstatement and payment of all benefits due to them.
While all the affected staff have been reinstated, they lamented that their benefits was yet to be paid by the authorities of the university as ruled by the court in 2013.
Addressing a press conference in Ilorin at the weekend, counsel to the 29 affected staff, Adeola Omotunde, said his clients had explored “dialogue and peaceful methods” to get the university authorities to comply with the judgement to no avail, stressing that they were left with no other option than to go to court for enforcement.
…turns out 89 1st Class graduates
Authorities of University of Ilorin (Unilorin) at the weekend disclosed that, it had produced 89 first class graduates for the 2016/2017 academic session.
Others include 1,982 second class Upper division, 3737 second class Lower division, 1,309 third class and 117 Pass.
The outgoing Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali made this disclosure during the 33rd convocation press briefing and the unveiling of his successor at the main auditorium of the university.
He also said that, “at the post graduate level, in the session, the university produced 120 PHD, 1,074 Master,130 MBA/MPA and 161 diploma graduands adding that, these great graduands who have been found worthy in character and learning will be awarded their degrees and diplomas during the convocation activities slated for Friday October 20, 2017”.
Ambali said that the success recorded was due to the commitment of the lecturers and students to the policy of academic excellence of the institution.
On his achievements in the last five years, Ambali said that, “From 12 faculties that we had in 2012, the university has expanded the frontiers of learning to 15 faculties.
“Almost all our academic programmes are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the university in the last five years has introduced such new courses like Business Education, Social Studies Education, Adult Education, Computer Science Education, Marketing, Social Work, Psychology, among others.
“The outgoing administration has also completed and commissioned 89 infrastructural projects that have assisted the academic excellence of the students especially in the construction of lecture theatres across the various departments in the university”.
He therefore called on the members of the university community to extend the hands of fellowship to the incoming Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sulaiman Abdulkareem Age in the task of moving the institution forward.
Highlight of the event was the launching of a book titled, ‘The Ambalis Years’ written by the Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs division of the university, Kunle Akogun.
The book was reviewed by the Chairman, Editorial Board of THISDAY, Olusegun Adeniyi who lauded the author for taking up such a compilation of public records which he said is lacking in virtually all institutions in the country.