Suspended Osun college provost drags governing council, others to Court 

Suspended Provost of the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, Professor Jimoh Afolabi, on Tuesday, instituted a suit against the Chairman Governing Council of the institution, Mr Peter Babalola, members of the council and three others before the National Industrial Court (NIS), sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

It is recalled that Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, had in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on January 26, 2024, suspended Afolabi over alleged financial impropriety.

However, Afolabi, who initiated the suit before he was suspended as the provost of the college, was challenging the governing council’s decision to set up a probe panel to investigate him while in office.

Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Osun State government, Osun State College of Education, the state Ministry of Education and eight members of the governing council of the institution.

During the hearing of the suit before Justice Hasan Yakubu, counsel for Afolabi, Adesola Adebisi argued that the defendants did not file any process before the court but were only represented.

But, counsel for the defendants, Messrs Muyiwa Ogunleye and Adewale Ishola apologised to the court for their failure to file their processes.

Ogunleye, who represented the state government and Ishola, who was counsel for Babalola, promised the court to present their processes at the next adjourned date.

Also speaking, Adebisi averred: “The suit was filed consequent upon the invitation of my client (Afolabi) before an investigative panel set up by the chairman, Governing Council of the institution. My client should not be seen as being removed from office as the matter had been instituted before his purported suspension and subsequent removal from office.

“In the face of the law, Afolabi remains the Provost of the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun. Our resolve on this matter is that part of our prayers before the court is to challenge the purported suspension of my client,” he submitted.

The presiding judge, Justice Hassan Yakubu subsequently adjourned the case till April 17, 2024 for further hearing.