Exclusive! How Indian Company, Skyline Is Operating University With Less Knowledge Of Education In Nigeria

Following an advertisement published widely in one of the Nigerian dailies by the Management of Skyline University Nigeria for vacancies ranging from lecturing and administrative positions at the institution, a man identified as Dr. Sesan Azeez Akinwunmi, did apply for the post of Senior Lecturer at the University in 2018 and according to the documents made available to worldtopnewsng.com by his legal team of Badr & Adebayo & Co. was successful at the interview and was subsequently employed.

It was discovered that his initial employment letter was issued by a Limited Liability Company called Skyline General Trading and Consultancy Limited, however, upon resumption of duty as stipulated, he requested that his employment be properly regularised, hence an employment letter on the University letterhead was issued on Monday, 27th August, 2018.

Comparing the two letters, worldtopnewsng.com discovered discrepancies in allowed payable. The reason may not be farfetched from deliberate intention to shortchange the government on tax payment on staff salary.

Meanwhile, Dr. Azeez in an exclusive interview with worldtopnewsng.com stated that when he noticed the management of the institution are consists of Indian nationalities and have less knowledge of university operation in Nigeria, he alarmed the tertiary institution leadership.

An investigation by worldtopnewsng.com revealed that in 2019, two Senior Lecturers were employed by the University and were being paid gross salary N200,000.00 higher than Dr. Azeez gross salary, the institution stylishly denied discrimination in the payment scheme.

“I wrote an official complaint to inquire as to why the discrimination in the payment of gross salary, the University stylishly replied and denied discrimination. I was called to a meeting and was told the difference in the payment was due to the fact that those two PhD holders employed bagged their PhD degrees abroad as against mine in Nigeria.”

It was discovered that again, in April 2020 during the global lockdown caused by the novel Coronavirus, the staff of the University were sent an email explaining their salary will be cut by half which he again protested. His protest was ignored and he was paid half salary in May.

“I complaint and was told in a meeting that all staff salary has been cut by half across board and mine cannot be different.”

In order to continue its discrimination against the local employee, upon his complaint, his employment was terminated illegally without notice.

After all his travails, Dr. Azeez has legally approached the court through his counsel headed by Gani Fawehinmi trained lawyer, Badr Mohammed Bashir, with requisites jurisdiction to hear and determine his complaint, the National Industrial Court to ask for the following reliefs.

These are the reliefs sought:

(a) AN ORDER of this Honourable Court DECLARING the action of the Defendants by terminating the Claimant’s employment as illegal, mischievous, discriminatory and unlawful and amounts to an unfair labour practice.

(b) AN ORDER of this Honourable Court DECLARING the action of the Defendants by paying some staffers employed on the same rank and grade as inappropriate, discriminatory, vexatious, unjust and illegal.

(c) AN ORDER of this Honourable Court DIRECTING the 1st – 7th defendants to pay the sum of N4,400,000.00 (Four Million and Four Hundred Thousand) naira as total sum short-paid over a period of 22 months at N200,000.00 (Two Hundred Thousand) naira monthly since employed.

(d) A DECLARATION that the act of the Defendants by paying some senior lecturers’ higher gross salary over and above the Claimant’s salary is discriminatory, unlawful and amounts to unfair labour practice.

(e) AN ORDER of this Honourable Court DIRECTING the 1st to 7th Defendants to pay the June 2020 salary plus the terminal benefits of the Claimant including unremitted pension deductions for the period of 22 months totaling N791,600.00 (Seven Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand, Six Hundred) naira only

(f) AN ORDER of this Honourable Court DIRECTING the 1st to 7th Defendants to pay general damages of the Sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million) naira severally and jointly.

(g) The cost of this action.

Calls placed to the school management not pick neither no reply to the text messages sent as the time of filing this report.