RUGIPO Rector faces jail for refusing to reinstate sacked staff

The Acting Rector of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), Ondo State, Engr. Boniface Ologunagba, has been served a notice of a contempt of court suit filed against him.

Members of staff of the polytechnic filed a suit through their lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), at the Industrial Court sitting in the Ondo state capital, Akure, over Ologunagba’s alleged refusal to comply with court judgement ordering him to reinstate some members of staff who were sacked by the management of the Polytechnic in January 2013.

According to a The Nation report, they want “an order committing the rector of RUGIPO to prison for failure to obey the judgement of this honourable Industrial Court delivered on September 30, 2014.”

The disengaged workers comprise 22 non-teaching and 10 teaching staff who were relieved of their duties on the excuse of ongoing reconstruction at the school.

But, following the appeal of a ruling by Industrial Court delivered on September 30, 2014 and returning 15 of the staff on the ground that they were wrongly sacked, the Appeal Court sitting in Akure on June 26, 2015, upheld the reinstatement of the 15.

But the Rector had allegedly being avoiding being served the court process so as to avoid obeying the ruling that the workers sho9uld be reinstated.

He was however accosted by a court bailiff, who was accompanied by armed policemen, and served the court processes, about two weeks ago at Ogbese town in Akure North LGA.