UNIPORT vs Final Year Students: Court adjourns application for stay of execution

Brave Dickson

A federal high Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned till March 11, 2019 an application brought before it by the management of the University of Port Harcourt praying the court not to execute the judgment it delivered in favour of some final year students of the institution.

The application for stay of execution followed an appeal filed by the management of UNIPORT before a Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt seeking to upturn a judgment delivered by Justice Hilary Oshomah in November, 2018.

The judgment faulted the management of UNIPORT over its decision to withdraw the first degree certificates of the final year students who ought to have graduated in 2016 over their inability to pay school fees within the stipulated deadline.

Justice Oshomah ordered the management of the institution to reward the affected final year students their first degree certificates and mobilize them for the mandatory Youth Service Corps.

The Court also ordered the management to compensate the final year students with the sum of N 500, 000 and comply with the order of court not later than 14 days from the judgment date.

The victory in court which brought wide jubilation by the affected final year students and their well-wishers followed an intervention by an NGO, Initiative for Freedom, Conflict Prevention and Social Integration (FREECON).

According to the Country Director, FREECON, Callys Evans, “We noticed that the over 1,200 affected final year students have a good case but have no money for litigation. They came to us crying in frustration and FREECON had to intervene.

Finally, judgment was delivered in their favour. It is a welcome development.”

When the matter came up on Thursday, the matter could not be commenced as the counsel to the management of UNIPORT, Emeka Njoku was not in court.

Speaking with counsel to the final year students who are now graduands of the institution according to the court judgment, Barr Kingdom Chukwuezie said, “the plaintiffs and the defendants have agreed to abide by the judgment”.

He said the management of the institution may likely not go ahead with the appeal adding that even the application for stay of execution may be withdrawn in subsequent adjournment.