About a hundred Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employees who were let go have filed a lawsuit against the national bank in the National Industrial Court, requesting damages.
According to Naija News, as part of the CBN’s reorganization plan, the Yemi Cardoso government fired around 200 bank employees in May.
Among other things, the fired employees are requesting full payment of all the benefits they would have been entitled to had they remained employees of the bank, including their monthly salaries, allowances, and retirement from the top bank, from the time their employment was terminated until that point.
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 stated that the sacked staff approached the court to enforce their right to fair hearing as workers who had been unjustly sacked by CBN.
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According to Arise TV, the sacked staff’s lead counsel 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.
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“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.
