Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja has dismissed the suit filed by Yisa Usman, a former Deputy Director of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), challenging his dismissal by the examination body. Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, the presiding judge, held in a judgment on Wednesday, June 11, 2026, that Usman’s dismissal was lawful and in full compliance with JAMB’s staff manual.
In July 2023, Usman was dismissed from his position as Deputy Director following ministerial approval of the report of a disciplinary committee set up to investigate his conduct. He subsequently approached the National Industrial Court, claiming that his dismissal was as a result of witch-hunting after he filed whistleblowing petitions alleging misconduct and corruption in the agency.
In September 2023, Usman filed a suit marked NICN/ABJ/266/2023, asking the court to declare his dismissal unlawful and unconstitutional, and seeking reinstatement with full benefits. He argued that he was denied a fair hearing by the disciplinary committee that recommended his dismissal, and noted that two members of the committee were the subjects of his earlier petitions to anti‑graft agencies.
In its defence, JAMB countered that the petitions were investigated and that its management had been cleared. The board told the court that Usman “is not a whistleblower but a self-serving individual whose stock in trade is blackmail.” It said the queries issued to him were a fall‑out of his petitions, that the investigative committee cleared the board, and that Usman should be subjected to the disciplinary process.
Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, in her judgment, found the composition of the disciplinary committee to be proper, noting that it was approved by the minister of education. She observed that the two members of the committee named in Usman’s petitions had recused themselves before proceedings began. The judge held that Usman was not denied a fair hearing because he responded to the queries issued and was given the opportunity to attend the committee’s meeting; his decision not to appear was his own choice.
“From the totality of the evidence adduced, I find that the misconduct of the claimant is grave and weighty. He wilfully disobeyed constituted authority,” Justice Obaseki-Osaghae ruled. “This has eroded and undermined the confidence reposed in him by the defendant to carry out his duties. 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.”
The judge further held that the reasons stated in Usman’s dismissal letter were unrelated to his whistleblowing activities, and noted that Usman himself had admitted that anti‑graft agencies had cleared the board of the allegations he raised. “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,” she stated.
With the judgment, Usman’s N150 million damages claim and his request for reinstatement were thrown out. JAMB’s lead counsel, Abdulwahab Oyedokun, told the court that the verdict vindicated the board’s position. Usman, who has been involved in separate criminal proceedings relating to alleged defamation and false information, has yet to indicate whether he will appeal the ruling.
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