Court Hears Suit Seeking Release of FCDA’s Director’s Academic Records May 7 

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A Federal High Court in Abuja may be compelled to order the authorities of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to produce records of a Director with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Anita Anurika Odom, over some alleged discrepancies in the documents submitted to the FCDA. 

This is following the fixing of May 7 for hearing in the suit, seeking an order of the court to compel the University authorities to produce the admission records, departmental results and graduation certificate of the Defendant. The Plaintiff also asked the court to mandate the FCDA to produce the academic records, graduation certificate and the NYSC discharge certificate, upon which the said Director was employed into its establishment. 

The requests were contained in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja against the FCDA, University of Port Harcourt and Odom, as 1st to 3rd Defendants respectively, by one Njoku Ifeanyichukwu. The Plaintiff in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CD/929/2024, is specifically asking the court to invoke the provisions of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, to compel the FCDA and the University of Port Harcourt to produce the academic records of the Director. 

In the suit filed by Abiodun Olusanya on behalf of the Plaintiff, it was averred that the academic records of the Director are required, to clear some discrepancies in her records of service at the FCDA. 

However, when the matter came up on Tuesday, Counsel to University of Port Harcourt, Mr Jude Ezenwata moved a motion on notice for regularisation of the University’s counter-affidavit against the suit to be filed out of time and to be deemed properly filed. 

In a brief ruling on the motion, Justice Binta Nyako granted the request of the University, permitting the counter