Ivara Ebetan, Director General (DG), National Gallery of Art, is required to appear before a National Industrial Court in Abuja for allegedly disobeying an order.
Ebetan was ordered to appear before Justice Oyebiola Oyewumi on Thursday to provide justification for why he should not be imprisoned in connection with allegations that may have bordered on contempt of court.
The event came as a result of a lawsuit brought by Eze Justus Obizue, a deputy director for the organization's Education Service, who was an irate employee.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the claimant requested, among other things, a perpetual injunction preventing the DG from engaging in "future acts of executive recklessness, aggression, and prejudices against him" in the originating summons, which was designated NIC/ABJ/204/2022.
In the suit, Obizue sued the organisation, the Board of Management, Director-General, Bayo A. Kazeem, among others.
The court had, on July 21, ordered the defendants to be present in court on July 25 to show cause as to why they should not be restrained and for parties to maintain status quo until the hearing of the motion on notice filed by the claimant.
However, counsel to the claimant, Valentine Obiajolu, who held the brief of his principal, Anthony Itedjere, drew the attention of the court to the fact that the 3rd defendant, Ebetan, has taken further steps against the claimant.
Obiajolu alleged that Ebetan had refused to pay Obizue his salaries for the months of June, July; August and September 2022 and also removing his desk and personal effects from his office in Abuja.
The lawyer further informed the court, in a 16-paragraph affidavit in support of the motion, that the DG had directed that backdated letters be issued to his client on the subject of litigation in this suit.
He further drew the attention of the court to an offensive publication by the defendants against his client.
The said offensive publication accused the claimant of indecent assault, defilement of minor, sexual harassment and malicious damage, amongst others.
After listening to the submissions Obiajolu with respect to Form 48, which is the notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court, Justice Oyewumi ordered Ebetan to present himself in court on the next adjourned date to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be made against him.
The judge fixed Nov. 29 for hearing.