Drama As Student Sues University Of Abuja, Seeks N100m Damages

Anthony Ejumejowo, a legal practitioner and civil rights activist, has dragged the University of Abuja to a Federal Capital Territory High Court, over the delay in the supervision of his Master’s degree in Law project by a lecturer in the institution, Dr Lawrence Chukwu.

 

According to Punch Metro, Ejumejowo said the absence and unavailability of the supervisor did not only stall the progress of his research work, but it also delayed the conclusion of his academic work over 14 months since the conclusion of the 2015/16 academic session.

 

He also said that he attended classes for the two academic semesters that ended in September 2016 and undertook two semester examination, scoring grade B in all the courses that he registered for, as released by the university.

 

The plaintiff, in a suit filed, averred that he is an alumnus of UNIABUJA of the set of 2005 from the Faculty of Law and was admitted into the Post-Graduate School in the Faculty of Law to study for an LLM sometime in October, 2015 for the 2015/16 academic session.

 

Ejumejowo, as stated in copies of the court processes obtained by our Correspondent on Monday, demanded an order of the court directing UNIABUJA to pay him the sum of N100m as damages suffered as a result of the action of the university.

 

He said that, after the defendant successfully screened him, he was issued with a registration number 15451048, paid the requisite school fees, commenced lectures and started undertaking assignments and paper presentations as part of the requirements for the award of LLM degree by the defendant.

 

The lawyer claimed that he practically had to put his legal practice on hold in order to concentrate on his studies, adding that he lost several briefs during the period.

 

The plaintiff also averred that he researched and submitted three chapters to Chukwu, with the first two chapters submitted to him for final corrections sometime in May, 2017. and that every attempt to meet and see him since May, 2017, met with one excuse or the other.

 

Other reliefs sought by Ejumejowo include an order directing UNIABUJA to “conclude the project supervision within 60 days and in accordance with the terms and conditions of his admission”, as well as a declaration that the actions of UNIABUJA was a deliberate act to frustrate him from completing his study for the award of an LLM degree.

 

Others include a declaration that the defendant’s action was in breach of the terms of the admission offered by the institution; and a declaration that he would not be charged any additional sums of money as school fees.