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The Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) and its suspended Abuja Liaison Office Manager, Funmilayo David Omosule, have eventually agreed on out-of-court settlement of their legal battle.
Both the OGFZA and Omosule had been locked in a legal battle at the National Industrial Court (NIC) over Omosule’s suspension since 2011.
Omosule was suspended following his petition against some management staff of OGFZA on alleged corrupt practices.
The Authority had in a letter dated April 18, 2011 suspended Omosule as manager of the Abuja office for refusing to comply with its letter dated December 3, 2010, where he was directed to present before the OGFZA board, original copies 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 (CTC) of his educational certificates/credentials since the “originals were misplaced in untraceable circumstances as at 2010 when he was requested to submit the original copies.
He added that the certified true copies of his certificates submitted to the defendant were certified by the issuing institutions, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the University of Ado-Ekiti.
However, at the court proceedings on May 26, the parties, through their counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN) and Joseph Tobi, agreed to resolve the seven-year legal battle out of court.
This prompted the trial judge, Justice Olufunke Yemi Anuwe, to adjourn the matter till July 10 for parties to report to the court, the terms of settlement agreed upon, which the court will adopt as its final judgment in the matter.
Before coming to the NIC in 2016, the claimant had in 2011 approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court demanding for his fundamental rights to fair hearing.
He also in 2012 wrote the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), ICPC and the police to investigate the alleged criminal acts by OGFZA officials.
He disclosed that both the AGF and the ICPC in their various letters directed the OGFZA to withdraw the suspension and pay him all his entitlements till date, adding that nothing was done till date.
Omosule, who in his statement of claim urged the court to declare his suspension wrongful, oppressive, unjustifiable and therefore null and void, had in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on July 23, 2015, alleged that he was punished because of his stance against corruption.
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Both the OGFZA and Omosule had been locked in a legal battle at the National Industrial Court (NIC) over Omosule’s suspension since 2011.
Omosule was suspended following his petition against some management staff of OGFZA on alleged corrupt practices.
The Authority had in a letter dated April 18, 2011 suspended Omosule as manager of the Abuja office for refusing to comply with its letter dated December 3, 2010, where he was directed to present before the OGFZA board, original copies 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 (CTC) of his educational certificates/credentials since the “originals were misplaced in untraceable circumstances as at 2010 when he was requested to submit the original copies.
He added that the certified true copies of his certificates submitted to the defendant were certified by the issuing institutions, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the University of Ado-Ekiti.
However, at the court proceedings on May 26, the parties, through their counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN) and Joseph Tobi, agreed to resolve the seven-year legal battle out of court.
This prompted the trial judge, Justice Olufunke Yemi Anuwe, to adjourn the matter till July 10 for parties to report to the court, the terms of settlement agreed upon, which the court will adopt as its final judgment in the matter.
Before coming to the NIC in 2016, the claimant had in 2011 approached the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court demanding for his fundamental rights to fair hearing.
He also in 2012 wrote the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), ICPC and the police to investigate the alleged criminal acts by OGFZA officials.
He disclosed that both the AGF and the ICPC in their various letters directed the OGFZA to withdraw the suspension and pay him all his entitlements till date, adding that nothing was done till date.
Omosule, who in his statement of claim urged the court to declare his suspension wrongful, oppressive, unjustifiable and therefore null and void, had in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on July 23, 2015, alleged that he was punished because of his stance against corruption.
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