Slaves in their country

Mass unemployment, reign of impunity and government negligence appears to have conspired to reduce Nigerians to slaves in their land by foreign companies. Moses Adie, who worked with one of such establishments, told ISIOMA MADIKE, in this report how his promising career was punctuated through fabricated lies, cooked up to deny him his dues

Moses Adie hails from Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State. He was employed by Statoil Nigeria Limited, a Norwegian company located at No 1A Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi in Lagos as a driver on October 19, 1993. He was so good at his job, prompting a rapid promotion that saw him attaining an enviable position of a senior driver in less than four years.
However, this impressive rise was punctuated in November 1999 when a fabricated allegation was levelled against him and four other members of staff. They were said to be the brain behind a false rumours on alleged amorous relationship between two members of staff, Neil Smith, a Briton and an anonymous Nigerian lady.
Even though, investigations by the management of the company exonerated the four when submissions of the findings established that the said rumours were baseless and unfounded, Adie was “marked” for further punishment for his perceived role in the saga.
The subsequent intimidations culminated into his being summoned by a Norwegian, who doubled as the company’s security manager, Colonel Oddmund Iversen (Rtd.) to his office on January 23, 2000. “I thought Col. Iversen had good news for me but to my surprise he told me that I had been sacked.
“He did not stop there but ordered me out of the premises of the company as he told me the dismissal was with immediate effect. He, thereafter, brought out a termination letter and asked me to sign, which I refused because I knew that I did not do anything to warrant such humiliation,” Adie said.
After this drama, a cheque of N33, 037.75k (thirty three thousand, thirty seven naira, seventy five kobo), which was attached to the sack letter was presented to Adie as a payoff. He refused to collect that too because “that couldn’t have been my benefit for the long period that company engaged my services.” Adie also maintained that his verbal sack without any previous query or warning not only negated Nigeria’s Company Act but amounted to injustice and dishonour.
He, afterwards, demanded to know what his offence could have been that resulted in his being treated as a slave in his own country. Adie saw his travails as against the ethics and rules of the company, particularly because he was a permanent member of staff. But, his bold stance signaled the beginning of more woes.
Though, he sought audience with the then managing director, E. Syrstad, his request was never granted as Iversen, who later invented a story of threat to life against Adie, blocked that.
The new charge took Adie to several detention cells, including his forced imprisonment at both the Ikorodu and Ikoyi Police divisions, respectively. “After these horrible experiences in police cells, one Captain Albert Oti (Rtd) threatened to eliminate me if I dare challenge the company authorities. He boasted that as a corporate organisation, Statoil has enough money to buy its way anywhere in the country,” Adie recounted. This development prompted Adie to incident the matter at Zone 11 Police Headquarters at Onikan, Lagos.
“Immediately after, we were invited by a Deputy Commissioner attached to Zone 11 and the man in confidence advised Statoil representative to go and settle amicably with me. We both thanked him and left,” Adie said. More than 14 years after that meeting, Adie is yet to get justice.
He had hoped the peace initiative of the Police would reverse the injustice visited on him by Statoil. But, he was wrong. Though, he never stopped to seek alternative means of getting justice. He cried to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to intervene. He also took his case to Lagos High Court.
Yet, both moves met a brick wall, necessitating his writing to the Norwegian High Commission though, without any response. This reporter’s efforts at getting Statoil management to state the company’s side of the story, including a letter attentioned to Syrstad were rebuffed.
Although, a response letter from the company dated December 12, and signed by Ariwoola Ogbemi, who claimed to be the managing director, stated that “as this is a matter concerning the relationship between Statoil and ex-employer, we have no comments to the media on this issue.”
Similarly, efforts at getting the Ministry of Labour and Productivity as well as Zone 11 Police Headquarters, Onikan to confirm or deny knowledge of the dispute were equally unsuccessful. However, the Executive Director, Civil Liberty Organisation (CLO), Comrade Ibuchukwu Ezike, reacted by saying that his organisation is hugely shocked by this “barbaric, inhuman and lawless maltreatment of Adie by Statoil.”
He, therefore, condemned the act, stating that, “we are also worried by the fact that Nigerian authorities appear not to be sensitive about the plight of Nigerian workers in the hands of foreigners, who exploit our cheap labour.” Yet, Adie is not an isolated case. Several other Nigerians also have tales of inhuman treatment from their foreign employers.
Nowadays, the safety issue and health at workplace, which once occupied a major place in the programme and plan of employers, is treated with levity. Some of the victims, who have suffered major injuries like loss of limbs, are often dismissed after receiving tokens that the companies give out on “compassionate” ground.
This, perhaps, is due to the fact that the Workman Compensation Act that is supposed to address some of these issues in the country, is as good as none-existent. The rampant “union-busting”, arbitrary pay cuts, unwritten job contracts, and none payment on maternity are some of the conditions at these foreign-owned companies. The dehumanising treatment being meted to workers in Nigeria has been likened by some Nigerians to the condition of work in per-industrial revolution Britain.
At present, workers’ health, safety and dignity are flagrantly being violated despite the relevant factories’ acts and laws of the land. While all bosses exploit workers though, Asians bosses are generally seen to be the worst. But, Nigerians may have to continue to endure due to lack of employment in the country.
Some have had to survive by accepting casual employment, even though, they may be more qualified than their Asian counterparts. A few years back, some 200 workers in a factory at Ikorodu, on night duty were roasted alive because they were locked inside the factory when fire broke out and there was no exit for them to escape.
The factory, West African Rubber Products Company Ltd (WARP), is owned by Lee Group of Companies. The Chinese employers had locked the doors of the workplace and gone home with the keys as a labour control measure.
A massive fire swept through the rubber slippers/ aluminum spoon/bottled water factory in the early hours of Monday, September 16, 2002, at Odogunyan in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. It was a long existing practice aimed at preventing the workers from pilfering their employers’ products and raw materials. The incident was described as the worst tragedy in the state after the January 27, 2002 bomb explosions at the Ikeja Cantonment that left over 1,000 people dead and several thousands homeless.
Today, the company operates as if nothing of such ever happened. These actions, however, run contrary to provisions of the Factories Act 1987; cap 126 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1990. Under that Act, the Director of factories at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity is responsible for periodic inspection of various factories/ industrial establishments to ensure compliance with the various health and safety provisions of the Factories Act by factory owners across the nation.
Incidentally, the factory inspectors, if and when they do visit the factories, usually look the other way while employers of labour violate and flout the various company regulations with impunity.