The PAN African Youth Development Network, a coalition of civil society organisations, has sent a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, over an alleged injustice by the management of BN Ceramics Nigeria Limited in Kogi State.
It also complained about “a lot of irregularities perpetrated by the company on Nigerian youth whom they engaged as factory workers.”
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The petition written to the IGP and signed by Aare Oladotun Hassan was titled ’’petition against BN Ceramics Nigeria Limited and others over the act of criminal conspiracy, gross ineptitude, devaluation and violation of human rights, threat to life, attempted murder and shooting of Mr Oloye Elega and other acts of molestation of workers and staff of the company in contravention of factory act 2004 fgn.”
The petition, dated 24th, January 2021, read thus: ‘With sublime respect, we are Solicitors to PAN African United Youth Development Network represented by Amb., Habib Muhammad, Nigerian Youth Coalition represented by Bar. Aare Oladotun Hassan, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide represented by Sola Olumola, and All Concerned and Affected Staff of BN Ceramic Nigeria Limited hereinafter referred to as “Our Clients/Victims, on whose behalf we seek your urgent due diligent investigation and prosecution of the above-captioned matter respectively.
“Based on this premise, the fact of the matter is bordering on continuous criminal actions of slavery and multiple injustices meted on the helpless Nigerian youths by the management of BN Ceramic Limited perpetrated by Mr Saliu Mohammed, Human Resource Manager, wherein for many years the culprits subjected innocent female youths to sexual harassment, the recent shooting of Oloye Elega, a cleaner, threatening violence and attack our clients respectively.
“Hence, we are aghast to report this serial act of threats against workers, for lots of workers have been subjected to gross human rights violations under hash circumstances, but if nothing meaningful is done, this threat is capable of reality and eventual evil consequences to our clients, precipitating our urgent appeal for a due diligent investigation of the culprits.
“Our clients are civil and law-abiding citizens, with no traces of criminality or taints.
“We shall await your accelerated approval of our petition for onward investigation accordingly.”
Earlier, The President of PAN African Youth Development Network, Ambassador Habib Muhammad, called on the Federal Government to look into the alleged slavery and injustice meted on Nigerian youths by the management of BN ceramics Nigeria Limited.
Muhammad made the call when he led other members of the organisation to BN Ceramics Company owned by Chinese investors based in Ajaokuta, Kogi State.
Addressing the management of the company after the team toured the production site, Muhammed explained that the visit was borne out of a series of complaints received from the workers of the industry.
He lamented that after the tour of BN ceramics factory, the group observed a lot of irregularities perpetrated by the management of the company on Nigeria youths whom they engaged as factory workers.
The youth leader, who was visibly furious, stated that the organisation cannot sit down and allow Nigerian youth being used as slaves in their own country.
He blamed the Human Resource Manager of the company for conniving with the Chinese to suffer Nigeria youths through arbitrary deduction of their salaries, poor remuneration and hazardous working environment.
The President of Coalition of Youth Organisations in Nigeria, Barrister Oladotun Hassan, who was part of the team that visited the company, stated that the workers of BN Ceramics Nigeria limited have complained of gross ineptitude, devaluation and violation of human rights as contained in the labour law, stressing that the tour to the factory of the company proved that the complaints are genuine.
He alleged that the company has violated the factory Act 2004 of the federal republic of Nigeria in relation to health, safety, hazard and precautionary measures, expressed displeasure over prolonged working hours and actualization of workers and working without appointment letters as complained by the employees of BN Ceramics Limited.
The youth leader also disclosed that legal action will be taking over the shooting of one Oloye Elega, a cleaner in the company who was paid a paltry sum of money as compensation.
He also called on the Minister of labour, Dr Chris Ngige, to act swiftly with a view to ending such anomalies, stressing that the minister cannot be sitting in the comfort of his office while foreigners are dehumanizing Nigerian youths under the pretence of creating jobs for Nigerians.
All efforts to reach Mr Saliu Mohammed, the Human Resource Manager of the company, for response proved abortive as he was not picking up calls.
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