No fewer than 100 sacked staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have dragged the apex bank to the National Industrial Court (NIC) seeking payment for damages.
Recall that about 200 bank staff of the CBN were sacked, in May 2024, by its Governor, Olayemi Cardoso-led administration as part of the bank’s re-organization strategy.
The sacked staff are among other things seeking full payment of their monthly salaries, allowances and all other financial benefits they should have been entitled to if they were still in the employment of the bank, from the time their employments were terminated to the time they should have retired from the apex bank.
The former CBN staff’s Lead Counsel, Ola Olanipekun (SAN), on Thursday, made the court documents available to select journalists in Jos, Plateau State.
Olanipekun who spoke with newsmen said the sacked staff approached the court to enforce their right to fair hearing as workers who had been unjustly sacked by the 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 claimants their monthly salaries, allowances and other emoluments/entitlements.”
Olanipekun added that “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 ₦1,621,455.70 monthly as evidenced by his salary payment, and such other monies in that regards as his current or subsequent promotion position/grades would be entitled.
He is praying the an order of the court to ensure that the defendant shall pay forthwith all monthly salaries and allowances that the claimant would have earned in the course of his service/employment, being the sum of ₦178, 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.
“The sum of ₦30,000,000.00 as the cost of litigation/prosecuting the suit is also demanded from the defendant with 21 percent 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.