The over 200 staff sacked by the Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN, has dragged the bank to the National Industrial Court ,NIC. to demand for payment of damages, entitlements among others.
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria in May 2024 sacked over 200 of its staff , saying it is an re-organisation strategy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
However, the move has since unsettled the affected staff who are now demanding for damages and payment of entitlements.
The affected staff are also challenging their abrupt and unjust termination of services.
Mr. Ola Olanipekun (SAN), lead Counsel to some of the affected staff who made the court documents available to select journalists in Jos on Thursday said the affected staff approached the court to enforce their right to fair hearing as workers who have been unjustly sacked by CBN.
He said the unlawful action of the apex bank has caused monumental damages to his clients running into hundreds of millions of naira, adding that they are praying the court to ensure that the defendant pay all the monthly salaries, allowances and other entitlements.
Olanipekun said for instance, one of his clients who still have nine years of service left with the bank would have earned, if his employment had not been unlawfully terminated, a sum of N1,621,455.70 monthly as salary.
He is therefore praying the court to ensure that the defendant pays forthwith all monthly salaries and allowances that the claimant would have earned in the course of his employment, being the sum of N178, 360,127.00 or such other sums in that regard, from the effective date of unlawful termination of his appointment up and until his due date of lawful retirement on 4th August, 2033.
The counsel said that the claimant is also praying the court to ensure that the sum of N100,000,000 million is paid to him as general damages against the defendant, for wrongful termination of his contract of employment.
Meanwhile, the sum of N30,000,000.00 as the cost of litigation/prosecuting the suit is also demanded from the defendant with 21 per cent post judgment interest, per annum, on all judgment sums awarded, from the date of judgment until the entire judgment sum is wholly defrayed/liquidated as well as further orders as the court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.
Olanipekun explained that the Originating Summons dated 22 August, 2024 is supported by a 27 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by the Claimant himself.
