Posted by By NICHOLAS OHWO on
Oando Nigeria Plc has been sued for N10 million as general and special damages for a breach of contract, arbitrary termination of employment and willful refusal to pay full benefits to his former employee, Mr Chris Chinenye Nwobi.
Oando Nigeria Plc has been sued for N10 million as general and special damages for a breach of contract, arbitrary termination of employment and willful refusal to pay full benefits to his former employee, Mr Chris Chinenye Nwobi.
Nwobi who until the termination of his appointment was the Deputy Divisional Finance Manager of Oando at Benin initiated the action against the company through his Counsel, Mr Obiora Akabogu.
In his statement of claim, Nwobi averred that he was employed by the defendant then known as Unipetrol on December 1, 1989.
According to the claimant, he was shocked to his bone marrow when he received a document on March 29, 2004 titled "Disengagement from Service" without cogent reason whatsoever.
Besides, he stated that in addition to his forced and disgraceful retirement after about 15 years of meritorious service, his full benefits and gratuities were not paid to him.
Nwobi claimed that he would have received a total sum of N17.6 million for the 11 years but for the termination of his appointment.
He said further that the defendant did not allow him to attain the mandatory or normal retirement age of 55 years inspite of his enviable track record.
He averred that even in the case of early retirement, the company official policy is to place the affected retiree in the place he would have been if he had worked up to 55 years.
He contended that the same policy is also applicable in the civil service, PENGASSAN which he belongs as an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
The claimant said that the action of the defendant was a violation of human rights and breach of contract adding that the conduct of the defendant shows a clear case of termination of appointment done in bad faith.