T he National Industrial Court sitting in Akure,
the Ondo State capital, has ordered the
immediate reinstatement of 15 of the 32
workers of the state-owned Rufus Giwa
Polytechnic Owo (RUGIPO), who were illegally
sacked in January 2013.
In addition, the court also directed the
institution to arrange for the immediate
payment of all their outstanding salaries and
allowances that it has withheld since the 2nd of
January last year when they were relieved of
their jobs.
On the 31st of December 2012, the institution,
through a circular pasted at its administrative
building, ordered the security guards on the
main entrance of the school not to allow the 32
workers into the premises of the institution.
They comprised 10 academic and 22 non-
academic staff.
The circular claimed that their services were no
longer needed because the management had
met with the key principal heads of the
institution and carried out reorganization.
A SaharaReporters correspondent who obtained
the letter on the 14th of January 2013
authoritatively reports that no offence was
stated in the circular.
Some of the workers during the struggle to
reclaimtheir jobs had alleged that the institution
had victimized them based on their rejection of
the appointment of the rector of the institution,
Prof. Igbekele Ajibebun.
On three consecutive cases, the presiding judge
had postponed the case, declaring that some
sections of the suit lacked merit, but the
affected employees did not relent, and justice
came their way on Tuesday.
In his ruling, Justice Ndidi Ubaka admitted that
the institution had wrongly sacked the
polytechnic workers, and that it failed to tender
substantive reasons for their sack.
Justice Ubaka said that the court could only
return 15of the workers to their positions
because they proved to the court with
documents that they were real senior staff
members of the institution.
Of the remaining 17, the judge said they were
not reinstated because they could not prove to
the court with their employment letters if they
were junior or senior staff of the school.
The workers' reinstated by the court today are:
Mr. Oluwabamiji Kumuyi, the institution's
former chairman of the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnic (ASUP), Ogunbode Benson,
Abodunrin Moses, AdeoniOlusegun, Agbi Nelson,
Arijeniwa Adedotun, Ayodeji Akinsanmi and Mrs.
V.O Ayodele.
Others are: S.B Bolaji, Ekundayo Gbenga, A.M
Elegbede, T.L Olemija, Olugbamila Omotayo,
OmotolaAlaba Olumayowa and S.O Oniyelu.
The non-reinstated workers are as follows:
AkinyemiOluwafemi, Taiwo Alonge Titus,
Arealepo Michael Oluwasola, A.E Adebayo,
Aderigbe Olamide Olajope, Ajanaku James
Akinyemi, Akinrolabu Dare Raphael.
Others are: T.M Ogunleye, A.O Olayode, J.A
Oluyede, Omoge Edward Taiwo, Omole
Olayinka, Idowu, J.K Omole and Shoyege Ayodeji
Olayinka, Arolowo Clement Jimoh, A. Bello, O.M
Fagbayimu.


source: saharareporters.com/2014/09/30/judge-orders-reinstatement-sacked-ondo-poly-workers-after-three-year-court-case

Mimiko in his desperation to silence every opposition to his misrule tactically sacked the gallant comrades. These innocent people are now back but you will soon go into political oblivion. God bless our judiciary