Mr. Odebowale, a PhD holder who is popular known as High Priest, filed a lawsuit before Justice F.I. Kola Olalere of the National Industrial Court in Ibadan to challenge his dismissal from service.
A lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Doyin Odebowale, has sued the university for sacking him after he refused to apologize to academic colleagues he accused of aiding and abetting plagiarism at the university.
Mr. Odebowale, a PhD holder who is popular known as High Priest, filed a lawsuit before Justice F.I. Kola Olalere of the National Industrial Court in Ibadan to challenge his dismissal from service. The suit urges the court to set aside a decision of the Governing Council of the university taken on December 1, 2016, to sack him.
In an ex parte motion brought before the court, Mr. Odebowale is seeking an interim injunction restraining the Governing Council of the University from going ahead to implement decisions that may affect him negatively. However, Justice Olalere declined the ex parte motion, asking the applicant to put the defendants on notice. The judge also adjourned the case till March 27 for hearing of the application.
The lecturer’s counsel, Femi Aborisade, informed the court that his client lives in the university with his family. He also disclosed that the applicant had been teaching since 1996.
Justice Olalere took time to address journalists in the courtroom, urging them to report the proceedings in the case accurately. He stated that he was not averse to the presence of journalists in the case filed by the lecturer, but cautioned that the reporting must be accurate.
In a lighter note, Mr. Aborisade informed the court that the applicant was not only a PhD holder in classics but also a lawyer. He told the court cheerfully, “Today is the 14th anniversary of his call to the bar.”
Mr. Odebowale told our correspondent that the application had already been served on the defendants, and filed in court, as instructed by the presiding judge.
