The government of Akwa Ibom state has approached the Court of Appeal Calabar, challenging the judgment of Etinan High Court which in December, 2017 ruled in favour of the six thousand students who graduated from the defunct state College of Agriculture, Obio Akpa, and were not issued graduation certificates.
The students had graduated from 2000 and 2009, were not issued with certificates on completion of their academic programmes, prompting the graduants to seek legal redress.
The student took the matter to an Etinan High Court presided by Honourable Justice Pius P Idiong, who ruled in favour of the students.
The court consequently ordered the Akwa Ibom State Government to pay the sum of one million naira, for every High National Diploma (ex-student) who successfully graduated and a statement or notification of result issued by the college.
The court also directed that students who duly completed their Programme and are entitled for Ordinary Diploma certificates, but were only issued statement or notification of result by the college be paid N500,000 by the state government and another N200,000 for them loss of the action.
However, on the 4th of January 2018, the state government filed their notice and grounds of appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging the ruling of the lower court.
The matter comes up on Tuesday, 18th June, when the court will consider dismissing the appeal or granting the motion of extension of time filed by the state government.
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