Olubiyi Odunaro, the 53-year-old
former employee of Hallmark Bank Plc., protesting against non-payment of his
terminal benefit, on Monday suspended his 14-day hunger strike.
The suspension of the
protest followed spirited appeal by a representation from the Lagos State
Governor, Babatunde Fashola, and officials from the Lagos office of the Public
Complaints Commission.
Senior Special Assistant to Fashola
on Justice Sector Reforms, Lanre Akinsola, who led a team of legal, welfare and
medical officials to the tent Odunaro had turned to his home on Mobolaji Bank
Anthony Way, Lagos, promised to intervene.
Akinsola said, “The attention of the
Lagos State Government was drawn to the various media reports about the protest
being embarked upon by Odunaro and it’s quite pathetic.
“Governor Fashola who was worried
about his state of health formed an inter-ministerial committee comprising
medical, legal and welfare officials and directed me to lead the team to
persuade him to end his hunger strike.
“As a responsible government we don’t
want a dead casualty in our hands as a result of this protest. Once he ends
this protest, we would first provide him medical service while the Lagos State
Directorate of Citizens Rights would engage the authorities concerned in a
comprehensive dialogue.”
Akinsola said the Lagos State
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, had given him his
word on free legal services to Odunaro and other ex-workers of non-consolidated
banks seeking the payment of their entitlements if the negotiations become
unfruitful.
“We will mediate and talk to the
right people and we believe reason will prevail in this matter and if not,
lawyers from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice will work in conjunction with
the lawyer of the group and ensure that justice prevails and everyone of them
gets their entitlement,” he added.
John Ogunniyi, who led a legal team
from the Public Complaints Commission, implored Odunaro to end the hunger
strike.
He said, “The Lagos Commissioner of
the Public Complaints Commission, Funso Olukoga, sends his word that you end
this protest and go back home while we look into your complaints.
“We’ve listened to the complaints and
we are going back to report to the commissioner and see the best we can do
concerning it.
“We are making this appeal because of
your health and the negative consequences it may have on you. The commissioner
has given us the authority to ensure that the matter is resolved.”
After persuasion and engagement by
the state officials and consultation with members of the Association of
Ex-Staff of Non-Consolidated Bank, who had gathered at the site which lasted
for about three hours, Odunaro who clocked 53 on Monday announced the
suspension of the protest.
He said, “This struggle is not
only about myself; it’s about the right of over 14,000 ex-workers of
non-consolidated banks who are ably represented here today.
“The Lagos State Government and the
PCC have given me and my people their word and I would hold on to it. My
other colleagues too have appealed to me to give the state government the
opportunity to play their part in this matter.
“In view of this, I announce the
suspension of my hunger strike for two weeks to enable me to go for
medical treatment and allow the state government play its part in this
debacle.”
President, Association of
Ex-Staff of Non-Consolidated Bank, Magnus Maduka, said, “We will be
leveraging on the clout of the state government and the promises of the Public
Complaints Commission to get our entitlements which we have
been fighting for for about seven years.”
As soon as he announced the
suspension, the medical team from the Lagos State Ambulance Service who
had been waiting for hours led him into an ambulance marked LA 167 A08 at about
3:09pm and took him to the Medical Emergency of the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital for medical attention