The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy has hailed the court judgment ordering the immediate reinstatement of registered nurse Olamide Thomas, following her whistleblowing activities.

Chido Onumah, coordinator of AFRICMIL, gave the commendation in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Onumah stated that Ms Thomas, a nurse at the Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese Ijebu, was dismissed by the institution in 2023 for exposing corruption and other acts of misconduct.

“We wholeheartedly welcome the judgment, which to us symbolises a massive blow to the horrible retaliation often initiated by employers against workers who dare to expose illegal practices in their organisations.

“The judgment is sound, well-reasoned, and a morale booster and a remarkable verdict handed down by a courageous judge in spite of the absence of a protection law for whistleblowers in Nigeria.

“Coming at a time when the country has yet to enact a whistleblower protection law, the judgment will undoubtedly serve as a motivation for workers, and indeed everyone, to engage in public interest whistleblowing. They can be assured of getting justice, like Thomas, when they face undue reprisals,” said Mr Onumah.

He said following her dismissal, she sued the College and the Ogun attorney general and Commissioner for Justice. The coordination stated that the judgment was similar to the one delivered in March 2020 by Justice Oyejoju Oyewunmi in favour of Sambo Abdullahi of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc.

AFRICMIL urged other judges to emulate the judges who have shown faithfulness in their support for whistleblowers who report illegalities in the public interest.

Mr Onumah stated that AFRICMIL urged the defendants to promptly comply with the court’s judgment. He urged the federal government to speed up the passage of a whistleblower protection law as “a necessary step towards achieving transparency and accountability, and minimising corrupt practices in the country.”

Delivering judgment in suit number NICN/LA/125/2023 on August 27, Justice S. A. Yelwa held that Ms Thomas’ termination was “unlawful, unjust, and unfair,” and directed the college and the Ogun attorney general to reinstate her without delay.

The court further ordered the defendants to pay all outstanding salaries, allowances, and entitlements owed Ms Thomas from the date of her suspension to the date of her reinstatement, as well as N5 million as damages.

Ms Thomas, through her counsel, Timothy Adewale, had challenged her dismissal, arguing that she was being victimised for exposing misconduct within the college.

During her employment, she had reported the theft of medical supplies and a power generator from the institution’s clinic, and also exposed an attempt to cover up the rape of a nursing student by a senior official — a case that eventually led to the prosecution of the official.

The court ruled that Ms Thomas’ actions fell squarely within protected whistleblowing activities and that punishing her for them would violate her rights.

Justice Yelwa emphasised that the court, as a court of law and equity, “would not fold its hands or close its eyes” to acts of victimisation, harassment, or intimidation of whistleblowers.

(NAN)