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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A former lecturer with Salem University, Lokoja in Kogi State, Ejirefe Influence, has filed a N15 million suit against the institution and its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Alewu Johnson-Akubo, at the National Industrial Court as damages for his unpaid salaries, allowances and pension being deducted from his monthly salary.
In the suit marked NICN/LKJ/30/2022, the claimant told the court that he took the legal action when it became obvious to him that the University was not going to keep to its promises to pay his outstanding financial entitlements.
He equally stated in the suit filed by his counsel, S.T. Momoh, that he was forced to resign his appointment with the school on July 6, 2022, due to the accumulated financial indebtedness.
Before his resignation, he communicated with the Vice- Chancellor of the University in writting giving the institution three months notice of his resignation in line with the terms of his appointment.
That the failure by the school to pay him all his financial entitlements has occasioned serious stress and hardship on him as an individual and also on his family as he can no longer play his role as a father and a husband.
He further averred that while in the employment of the defendants, he worked tirelessly and meritoriously combining his lecturing duties with administrative functions as Coordinator of the Salem Business School, where he spent 23 months before he was transferred back to the University as Lecturer 1, in the College of Management and Social Sciences.
That while at the Salem Business School, he spent his personal funds to the tune of N296, 949.18k in making the school work and that till date, the amount has remained unpaid.
He is seeking a declaration that being a staff of the private university, he was entitled to his remuneration/salary an all other allowances at all material times from November 2019 to August 2020 and from February 2022 to September 2022.
A declaration that the University is indebted to him to the tune of N1,226, 683.92k being his salary from February 2022 to September 2022, at the rate of N153, 335.49k monthly.
The claimant is further seeking a declaration that the school is indebted to him to the tune of N653, 038.28k being the amount of pension deducted from his salary but not remitted to his pension agency (FCMB Pensions).
An order of court mandating the institution to pay him the sum of N905, 400.25k being the amount owed him as salary from November 2019 to August 2020 at the rate of N107, 266.25k monthly.
An order of court mandating the school to pay the claimant the sum of N296, 949.18k being the amount owed him as his allowance for the teaching of a course at M.Sc. level and marketing of Professional project Management Programme.
