By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A staff member of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Barnawa, Kaduna, Mr. Kayode G. Abisanya, has accused the hospital and the Federal Ministry of Health of refusing to comply with multiple court judgments ordering his reinstatement and payment of outstanding entitlements.
Mr. Abisanya, whose appointment was terminated in 2015 by the hospital’s former Medical Director, challenged the dismissal at the National Industrial Court in Kaduna. Through his counsel, Barrister Ibinola O.O.O Meshacq of A.T. Usman–Ibinola & Co., he secured judgment in his favor after six months, with the court directing his reinstatement alongside full payment of arrears of salaries and promotions. Speaking to journalists in Kaduna on September 22, 2025, Abisanya alleged that rather than comply with the ruling, the hospital management advised him to resume work but forget his arrears, claiming there were no funds. When he declined, the hospital appealed the decision, but the Court of Appeal dismissed their case in June 2025, upholding the lower court’s judgment. Despite the final ruling, Abisanya said he has yet to be reinstated. In a letter dated September 22, 2025, his lawyers wrote to the Medical Director of the hospital, demanding immediate compliance with the court order. The letter warned that failure to act within seven days would compel Abisanya to initiate enforcement proceedings against the relevant authorities.“The judgment is now final and binding. Yet, our client has not been reinstated, nor have his entitlements been paid. We demand immediate and full compliance,” the letter stated.
When contacted, the hospital’s spokesperson, Mr. Haruna Usman, denied any refusal to reinstate Abisanya, attributing the delay to administrative constraints. He explained that the hospital currently has no governing board and that the case, along with 16 others, had been transferred to the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja for legal handling.“With regard to Mr. Kayode’s issue, we have no reason not to reinstate him. But since we don’t have a board, we must await directives from the Federal Ministry of Health,” Usman said. “The matter is with the ministry’s legal team, which now reserves the right to direct the implementation of the judgment.”
Abisanya, however, insisted that both the hospital and the ministry are deliberately frustrating him, alleging that he had been turned back on two occasions when he submitted enforcement letters. He vowed to continue pressing for justice until the court’s orders are fully executed.