For several years now, I have brought to the public domain the ugly and appalling plight of disengaged staff of Benue Cement Co. Plc (who incidentally are mostly Tiv) who have been denied their disengagement benefits for a very, very, very long time. Very many of these staff are now dead. Several others are in different conditions of sickness and disability, and are also dying slowly. Many will surely die because their conditions need specialist treatment. Most of them got these ailments on the job (due to appalling health and safety conditions in the factory). The treatment meted out to these staff (for close to twenty years now or over) is to say the least, very, very disheartening. It is not only callous but abominable. Why subject bona fide staff that have served the company meritoriously to such inhuman and degrading treatment? I believe that no employer should be allowed to subject other human beings to such indignity.
It has been reported that over 300 disengaged staff of Benue Cement Company are being owed terminal benefits to the tune of N2.6 billion. Statutory contributions to NSITF to the tune of N900 million. Statutory contributions to the NHF to the tune of N1.8 billion. N31 million in respect of Death and Life Insurance benefits (from Leadway Assurance Company) released to the company for staff is yet to be paid to them after close to twenty years. Another 100 staff that were disengaged in 1999 are also in death limbo all these years. Their benefits are still being withheld. Please add N2.6 billion, N1.8 billion, N900 million, N31 million and compound the interest over twenty years. What a colossal sum! Yes, but of what use is this money to those that are already dead and the very many that are terminally ill and languishing?
Why did our governments refuse to intervene all these years? Why have our political leaders turned a deaf ear and a blind eye to these ravaging atrocities to their people? Why have our traditional rulers not taken up this matter to the highest level? Why is the State House of Assembly unable to intervene and save these people from agony and grief? Imagine what their families, dependants, children, and aged parents are going through: twenty agonizing years down the line!
I again call on the new Tor Tiv, Christian leaders, and men and women of goodwill, to speedily intervene in this matter to deliver these vulnerable dying souls.
Why has the new owner of the company (Alhaji Aliko Dangote) refused to honour his statutory obligations to these staff despite several victories at the High Court and Appeal Court? For some strange reason, his appeal to the Supreme Court has been held up for several years now while more of the staff languish and others die. Nobody knows when the Supreme Court will be in a position to deliver justice to these helpless souls. The late Legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, took up this case free of charge for these staff and won all the way, but the powers that be frustrated every effort to pay these staff. It looks like Benue Cement Co. Plc (now Dangote Cement Plc) is deliberately out to afflict and dispossess these Benue sons that laid down their lives to make the company great. Most saddening is the failure and refusal of successive governments of Benue State to intervene, negotiate, or compel Dangote to honour his obligation to these powerless and vulnerable staff. That the Benue State House of Assembly is equally hamstrung is indeed regrettable since they are the direct representatives of these people.
Look at this. It has been reported that the Federal Executive Council has approved Aliko Dangote's request to construct the road leading to Obajana cement factory to the tune of N38 billion. Yet, Dangote does not see it fit to construct the Yandev - Makurdi road which has been ravaged by his Cement trucks. Why such double standards? Why is Dangote Cement unwilling to contribute to the prosperity of Benue State despite the fact that he makes a chunk of his money from here? In three years, Dangote Cement Co. Plc posted N450 billion. This is to say that his company's turnover in a year is bigger than the entire Benue State budget! This is totally unacceptable.
It is inhuman and irresponsible for the management of this company to refuse to contribute to the development of the State. For example, the company has refused to open a Cement Depot in the State despite several appeals and resolutions by the State House of Assembly. His company's cement costs more here than in Kano, Bauchi, Taraba, etc. Why this is so remains unclear. The company's management has also banned Labour Union activities in the company in order to frustrate efforts to improve Workers' welfare. This is disturbing and saddening, yet the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, the State House of Assembly, and the State Government have kept amazing silence over this criminal conspiracy against workers who are Benue indigenes.
There is so much more to say but permit me to rest my case for now!!!
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