The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has thrown out a lawsuit brought forward by Yisa Usman, a former Deputy Director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), who was contesting his termination from the exam body.
In a ruling delivered on June 2, presiding judge Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae determined that Usman’s dismissal was entirely legal and aligned perfectly with the guidelines laid out in the JAMB staff manual.
Usman’s removal occurred in July 2023 after the Minister of Education approved the recommendations of a disciplinary panel set up to probe his actions during his tenure as a deputy director.
However, the ex-official alleged that his sacking was a targeted campaign of victimization and witch-hunting, sparked by whistleblowing petitions he had submitted alleging corruption and mismanagement within JAMB.
Seeking redress, Usman turned to the National Industrial Court in September 2023. He requested the court to declare his firing unlawful and unconstitutional, while demanding immediate reinstatement alongside all due benefits, privileges, and salaries.
Usman asserted that the disciplinary committee denied him a fair hearing.
He also raised concerns about the neutrality of the panel, pointing out that two of its members were actually named in the corruption petitions he had filed with anti-graft agencies.
Conversely, legal counsel representing JAMB pressed the court to throw out the case. They emphasized that multiple government and security agencies had already investigated Usman’s petitions and completely cleared the board’s leadership of any wrongdoing.
The examination body strongly rejected his status as a whistleblower, instead painting him as “a self-serving individual whose stock in trade is blackmail.”
According to JAMB, the initial queries given to Usman were triggered by petitions he and his associates sent to the Federal Ministry of Education.
A subsequent independent probe cleared JAMB management and recommended that Usman face a disciplinary panel instead.
In the certified true copy of the judgment, Justice Obaseki-Osaghae observed that the disciplinary panel’s composition conformed to the federal character principle and possessed direct authorization from the Minister of Education. Furthermore, the court noted that the Registrar and the Director of Finance, the individuals Usman had raised objections about, had actively recused themselves before the panel’s sessions even started.
Addressing the fair hearing claim, the judge maintained that Usman had ample opportunity to present his defense, noting that he had replied to the formal queries and received an official invitation to face the committee. Ultimately, Usman simply made a personal choice not to show up.
Justice Obaseki-Osaghae stated that the justifications outlined in the termination letter had nothing to do with whistleblowing. She highlighted that during the court proceedings, Usman himself acknowledged that anti-corruption agencies had cleared JAMB’s leadership of his accusations.
“From the totality of the evidence adduced, I find that the misconduct of the claimant is grave and weighty. He wilfully disobeyed constituted authority,” the judge held.
“This has eroded and undermined the confidence reposed in him by the defendant to carry out his duties.
“This is the exact scenario that has played out in this case. The claimant has grown too big to obey the defendant his master and employer.
The claimant behaved as if he was his own boss, accountable only to himself.”
Concluding the ruling, the judge stated that JAMB successfully validated its grounds for terminating the former deputy director.
“I am satisfied that the defendant has justified the reasons that necessitated the dismissal of the claimant from its service.
I hold that the dismissal of the claimant was lawful and in compliance with the staff manual,” Justice Obaseki-Osaghae ruled.
The decision decisively closes the curtains on Usman’s legal battle, validating JAMB’s assertion that proper protocol was strictly maintained throughout the disciplinary framework that led to his ouster.
