The lecturer refused to hand over the keys to his official residence and other properties belonging to Njala University until his backlog salaries and terminal benefits were paid. After several months of trying to reach an understanding without success, both parties sought the intervention of the Ombudsman.
The lecturer was initially sent to Njala University under a bilateral agreement between the governments of Sierra Leone and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and was later contracted by the University. He alleged that Njala University, in addition to his terminal benefits, owed him three months basic salary and reimbursement for a professional meeting he attended in Nigeria on behalf of the University.

The University on the other hand contended that the lecturer’s services were terminated on April 30 2011 and not 21st June 2011 as he claimed. And that the University did not give prior approval for his ‘official’ trip to Nigeria.
The Ombudsman found that the services of the lecturer were effectively terminated in April and not June. There was no evidence that the University had approved his meeting in Nigeria. As such, the Ombudsman recommended that the lecturer be paid two months’ salary together with his benefits. Both parties accepted the recommendation and the matter was resolved.
(This is a sample of the complaints dealt with by the Ombudsman that was published in the 2011/2012 Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman. The aim is to create a better understanding of the kinds of complaints that are referred to the Ombudsman and how they are resolved)