society
INDIGNITY OF LABOUR: THE BITTER TALES INSIDE NIGERIA FLOUR MILLS’ SUGAR ESTATE
By NGIJ team of Oluwasegun Abifarin and Olawale Abideen
The smoke of accusation and counter accusation has continued to rise over the indignity of labour and bitter working condition by workers of Sunti Golden Sugar Estates Limited, a subsidiary of Flour Mills Nigeria Plc.
Located on the banks of River Niger, in Mokwa, Niger state, Sunti Golden Sugar Estates Limited features 17, 000 hectares of irrigable farmland and a Sugar mill that process 4,500 metric tons of sugarcane per day. At full capacity, the estate is expected to produce 1 Million tons of Sugarcane which roughly translates into 100,000 metric tons of sugar yearly.
When Flour Mills of Nigeria took up loans amounting to about 60 Billion Naira facilitated by the Nigerian Government to acquire and complete the Sunti Farms in order to establish a sugarcane farm and set up a factory, the workers and host communities thought their sweet and happy moment had arrived.
And on 15th March, 2018, when the company was officially launched amidst pomp and pageantry, expectations and hopes were raised as there were promises of better living for host communities, their youths and the workers.
This eventually turned to a forlorn dream going by the layers of worker/labour indignity going on in the company.
One star case till date is the story of Mr. Amusa Monsuru Adewale who joined Nigeria Flour Mills on the 9th of April, 2014 as a Draftsman. The Human Resource Manager, Mr. Chatjock Chom on the basis of the strong recommendation from Adewale’s boss, Mr. John Beverley, confirmed his appointment as an Architect and also as a senior staff with job class 8 reward level 10.
In the course of Adewale’s employment, the company seconded him to Sunti Golden Sugar Estates Ltd where he has been working directly under the supervision of Engr. Akeem Kolawole Gbadamosi.
But on the 15th day of September, 2016 Mr. Adewale had an industrial accident on site which affected his left eye. Despite the accident, he continued to work diligently in the company, but on the 7th day of November, 2016 his was diagnose with severe keratitis on the left eye and he was placed on drugs. After some months, the Doctor recommended a Cornea transplant surgery for a clearer vision.
On the 3rd of June 2018, he received the bill for the surgery which he submitted to the Human Resource department. Prior to the submission of the bill, Adewale alleged that his boss, Gbadamosi had threatened on different occasions, to sack him “without any reason.” And upon submission of the bill, Adewale said he received two queries within one week.
After answering the query, Gbadamosi recommended to the Human Resource department for him to be sacked, but the recommendation was declined and instead a 5 day suspension was given to Adewale on the 2nd of July 2018.
After his resumption on the 9th of July, Gadamosi demoted him to the position of a store keeper .And by a letter dated 9th of April, 2019, Adewale was sacked, citing medical grounds as the reason.
Adewale’s Counsel, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN however disputed this, saying his client is medically fit to undertake his responsibilities and that no medical examination was conducted to support the company’s claim.
In a bid to resolve the matter amicably, Flour Mills invited Adewale and his lawyers to a meeting in Apapa, Lagos on 21st June, 2019 by 10:00a.m, whereat it was agreed to convey the resolution to the management of the company and get back to Adewale’s team to know the next alternative to explore. Till date, nothing has happened.
Another sordid case is that of Adeleke Wuraola, a Procurement Manager Sunti Golden Estate. As one of the oldest employees in the company, he was reputed to be very intelligent and good at his job, but he allegedly had issues with the wife of the General Manger.
It was gathered that for years, they plotted his removal until he fell into the trap of one Magdalene, a female staff allegedly brought by the GM and his wife to do the hatchet job. “Magdalene does not have the intelligence and confidence to come up with this grandiose scheme. She is being pushed and encouraged by someone in management,” Adeleke said.
For now the GM is said to have brought a family friend who is out of job from South Africa to replace Adeleke.
The case of Dr. Akande Yusuf who manages the Sunti Clinic is another sore point. Yusuf, had reported verbal assault and several episodes of interference in patient management as well as the open confrontation on the professionalism of the medical team at the clinic by the General Manager’s wife.
Specifically Yusuf recalled that on January 30th, 2019, the wife of the General Manager came to the clinic, assembled all the clinic staffs and dressed him down that he is “useless, unprofessional, and that she is ashamed of me.”
The medical doctor added that GM wife added that “she is the one paying my salary and that she can fire me if she wants; and when the GM’s wife is talking, I should not say anything ever again that I am disrespectful for thinking I can say something; that we are all fucking idiots.”
In his letter to the HR Manager, dated February 14, 2019, Yusuf lamented that “I have been brooding over these utterances in the last two weeks against the background of prior confrontational threats and intimidation from the GM and his wife on 18th of October 2018 in which case a lot of hurtful words and insults were hauled at me.
“Permit me to sincerely note that the derogatory remarks, verbal abuse, offensive words, threats, emotional and psychological subjugation from both the General Manager and his wife are having their toll on me and by extension, the other medical staffs. Our morale are down.”
On the frosty relationship between the company and the host community, Samuel Iboroma, FMN Corporate Communication Manager had maintained that Sugar Golden Sugar Estates has enjoyed very cordial relations with its host communities.
He also sent a letter of appreciation sent by the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar acknowledging the receipt of four thousand cartons of chicken indomine noodles donated to the community by FMN recently.
But a recent letter by the host community addressed to the Chairman of FMN points to another direction. They complained that the Sunti GM “has been showing so much disrespect to the community leaders and the citizen together with the Community Liaison Officer, Mr. Samuel.”
According to them, “the community no longer has source of income for our livelihood because of the activities of the Company and the autocratic nature of the GM has also led to the termination of the appointment of many skilled, and experienced personnel from the company.”
Sources informed us that communities such as Kusogi, Jaagi, Batagi, Kupanti, etc suffered most from the activities of Sunti Golden Estate.
On the allegation of poor working condition, Iboroma argued that the “assertions all wrong,” adding that “like most of our investments in the food value chain, we are creating jobs and empowering our communities through active collaboration.”
But some of the workers who spoke to our correspondent in the estate last week countered Iboroma’s assertion arguing that “slavery continues here.” They pointed to the meagre salary and the un-abating casualization of workers as a major twin evil. “A graduate earns N30, 000 here, an amount too little for the so called expatriates to spend at a shopping,” one of the workers told us last week.
Attempts to get the company’s reaction to the latest allegations were futile last week. There was no reply to mails and messages sent to Iboroma’s through phone, wattsapp and emails address.
Instead, Sources at Sunti hinted early this week that the company is planning to bring some selected journalists to the Estate to ”come and see things for themselves.”
“It is expected that journalists will be around within this week, and they have been improving on things they believe could implicate them. Presently, they have been going about begging workers not to speak ill of the company,” a worker told our correspondent last week.
Strangely, some of the journalists have also been calling our correspondent to back off from the story, pleading that “Flour Mills is their client.”
Alleged Manipulation of Defilement Case Sparks Call for Review of Legal Advice in Lagos
By Ifeoma Ikem
A legal controversy has emerged in Lagos following a petition seeking a review of a legal advice issued in a case involving two female teachers accused of negligence in a child injury incident at a nursery school in Ikorodu.
The petition, submitted by Crown Cannan Attorneys, urges the Lagos State Ministry of Justice to reconsider the legal advice issued on September 16, 2022, in the case titled Commissioner of Police vs. Ambassador Rukayat Tobiloba and Rukayat Lawal.
Addressed to the former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, the application argues that the legal advice may have been influenced by what the petition describes as a “deliberate manipulation of facts.”
According to counsel representing the defendants, the allegations stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on October 26, 2021, at Great Kezino Nursery and Primary School located in the Adamo area of Ikorodu, Lagos.
The defendants, Ambassador Rukayat Tobiloba, 26, and Rukayat Lawal, 24, were reportedly the class teacher and assistant class teacher respectively in charge of a Nursery One class where the incident occurred.
Court documents indicate that a three-year-old pupil, identified as Victim A, was reportedly injured after another pupil allegedly pierced a pencil into her private part during school hours.
The prosecution claims the incident occurred due to the failure of the teachers to exercise adequate care and supervision over the children under their custody.
Based on this allegation, the two educators were charged with negligence under Section 252 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which addresses acts that may cause harm through lack of proper care.
The defendants were subsequently arraigned before Magistrate Court No. 2 in Ikeja on April 19, 2022, where they faced a one-count charge relating to the incident.
During the investigation conducted at the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja, several civil society groups reportedly monitored the proceedings.
Among them were representatives of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) and other non-governmental organizations.
These groups reportedly raised concerns about what they described as a growing tendency to weaponise allegations of child abuse in ways that could unfairly damage reputations and careers.
In its petition, the defence team argued that the case deserves a fresh review to ensure that justice is served based on verified facts rather than assumptions or public pressure.
They urged the Ministry of Justice to carefully reassess the legal advice and the circumstances surrounding the investigation to determine whether the prosecution should proceed as currently framed.
Legal observers say the outcome of the requested review could determine the next stage of the case and may also highlight broader concerns about investigative procedures and child protection cases within the justice system.
Reacting to a viral social media post by Ambassador Rukayat Tobiloba, who claimed she might be jailed for defilement, the head teacher of Great Kezino Nursery and Primary School, Mrs. Edaolaropin Toyin, provided the school’s account of events.
According to her, the pupil identified as Victim A was enrolled in the Nursery One class on September 20, 2021, which had about 15 pupils.
She explained that on October 26, 2021, the pupil was transported home on the school bus after closing hours and handed over to her father around 4:30 p.m.
“Later that night, the pupil’s mother allegedly contacted the head teacher, claiming her daughter cried while bathing and alleged that a male classmate, Victim B, had inserted a pencil into her private part during school hours,” she said.
The school, however, rejected the allegation, maintaining that no such incident occurred while the child was in its custody.
“The following morning, the teacher visited the pupil’s home, where the father reportedly denied the mother’s account of the incident,” Toyin added.
She said the situation escalated later that day when the child’s parents arrived at the school with police officers from Imota Police Station demanding that the alleged male classmate be produced.
The head teacher further stated that the school management had supported Tobiloba throughout the legal process.
“Since the incident happened, the school management has never stopped supporting Tobiloba’s welfare until last year when she sent a WhatsApp message saying she was no longer interested in the court matter, claiming she had relocated to Ibadan,” she said.
She described the claims currently circulating on social media as “defamatory narratives.”
*GEN CG MUSA SUPPORT INITIATIVE MOURNS FALLEN HEROES AND URGES UNITY IN SECURITY SUPPORT
The Gen Christopher Gwabin Musa Support Initiative (GCGMSI) expresses its heartfelt condolences to His Excellency Gen Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Grand Patron of the Initiative, and the families of the fallen heroes who courageously lost their lives in a recent attack by ISWAP in Konduga, Marte, Jakana, and Dalori in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. Among the tragic losses were three senior military commanders: Major U.I. Mairiga, Lt-Col Umar Faruq, and Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, who dedicated their lives to the service of our nation.
The GCGMSI implores the public to continue supporting our security agencies, emphasizing that the safety and security of our nation is a collective responsibility. Every day, our security forces pay the ultimate price to safeguard our country. We urge the public to remain supportive, pray for their success, and refrain from politicizing the security challenges we face.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Convener, Ibrahim Dahiru Danfulani Sadaukin Garkuwan Keffi/Betara Biu, which has been made available to the press. The statement highlights the initiative’s profound concern for the losses sustained by our security personnel and reflects on the broader security situation in Nigeria.
In his unwavering commitment to addressing the insecurity plaguing our nation, the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Gwabin Musa, has consistently engaged in urgent meetings with service chiefs, reinforcing strategic plans to combat threats and enhance national security. His leadership and decisive actions demonstrate a dedication to restoring peace and stability across our regions, ensuring a safer environment for all Nigerians.
society
SECURITY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: BACKING OUR MINISTER OF DEFENCE GEN. CHRISTOPHER GWABIN MUSA OFR
SECURITY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY: BACKING OUR MINISTER OF DEFENCE GEN. CHRISTOPHER GWABIN MUSA OFR
By Ibrahim Dahiru Danfulani
In these challenging times, it is essential for all Nigerians to rally behind our leaders, particularly His Excellency Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, the Minister of Defence. The security of our nation is not a matter to be taken lightly or politicized. Gen. Musa, recognized for his unwavering dedication and sacrifice, has served our country commendably throughout his life.
Following the recent reshuffle of service chiefs by President Asiwaju Bola Ahamed Tinubu GCFR, which resulted in Gen. Musa’s retirement as Chief of Defence Staff, many voiced their concerns. Yet, upon his appointment as Minister of Defence, there was a renewed sense of hope among the populace. Gen. Musa has embraced his role with an unwavering commitment, often sacrificing his rest to ensure the safety and security of our great nation.
While it is undeniable that Nigeria faces security challenges, we must approach these issues with unity rather than division. It is crucial to recognize that those who politicize our national security are often those who have not contributed positively to the success of our security agencies. Instead of spreading negativity, we should support Gen. Musa in his mission to restore peace and stability.
To achieve our collective goal of a secure Nigeria, we must provide Gen. Musa with the trust he deserves. His vision and determination, paired with our support and prayers, can pave the way to overcoming the challenges we face. It’s time for every Nigerian to put aside political differences and work together for the common good. Let us have faith in our leaders and trust in Gen. Musa’s ability to steer our nation towards safety and security.
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