The Principal of University of Lagos (UNILAG) International School (ISL), Dr. Brai Malik, has accused the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe of continued harassment despite a subsisting court case.
Dr. Malik dragged UNILAG to the National Industrial Court, after he had allegedly attempted an amicable resolution of the issues surrounding his appointment with the institution’s Management, headed by Prof. Ogundipe, without success.
The law suit, with number NICN/LA/178/2021, was accompanied by an application comtemporaneously filed along with it, asking for Interlocutory Injuction restraining the Management, their agents and privies, their assigns or any other person acting for them from harrasing, oppressing or intimidating him.
In a letter addressed to the Vice-Chacellor, dated July 1, 2021, a copy of which was made available to The Lagos Times, lawyers to Dr. Malik, the law firm of Alegeh & Co, accused him of continued harrassment of their client.
Citing an incident that happened same day, July 1, in the letter which was signed by O.F. Azeez Esq., the law firm alleged that Prof. Ogundipe subjected Dr. Malik to public opprobrium by condemning him in a derogratory and disdainful manner for filing a court action against the school.
In the letter, Prof. Ogundipe was quoted as having allegedly said to Dr. Malik “Are you not the one who went to Court? Just go, we do not want you here. You are working against the school. You cannot share in this glory. Go back. …I say go back….”
The Vice-Chancellor allegedly said this publicly at the ground floor of the Senate building when Dr. Malik, in company of the Chairman of the International School Management Board and other officers of the school, led the school’s athletics team, which won trophies and cash gifts in a state-wide Athletics Competition that had just been concluded, to honour his invitation for a reception.
The law firm, Alegeh & Co. again wrote the Vice Chancellor another letter dated July 19, 2021 and signed by Olawunmi Nwano Esq. on another alleged form of harassment to their client.
In the July 19, 2021 letter, Dr. Malik alleged that on Saturday, July 17, the Vice Chancellor, in the company of faceless men in his white JAC SUV, took a slow drive along Block B Highrise in UNILAG where he resides, stopped in front of the building to enable one of the occupants of the SUV take pictures and possibly make video recordings.
The lawyers further stated in the letter: “We consider this all-time low action of commissioning strangers to take pictures and making video recordings of our client’s apartment bizarre, in the light of the pending action.”
“Your action leaves us in no doubt that our client’s safety is now in serious jeopardy”.
Attempts to get a reaction of the Vice Chancellor through the Communication Unit of the university proved abortive.
The telephone of the Unit displayed on website of the university, a land line rather than mobile, did not go through after several attempts.
An email sent to the email address displayed on the website on Monday, August 2 by 5:15pm, requesting for reaction, had not been replied by 4:15pm on Tuesday, August 3.
