Prevail upon CBN, NDIC to pay our severances ― Ex-bank staff beg FG

The former staff of non-consolidated banks in Nigeria, under the aegis of the Association of Ex-Staff of Non-Consolidated Banks, Nigeria, Friday, in Lagos has appealed to the Federal Government to prevail upon the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to pay their terminal benefits.

The ex-staff of the non-consolidated banks, while making the appeal, lamented that since 2005 when their former employees ceased to operate, they had been thrown into a lot of hardship resulting in the death of about 350 of their colleagues, while some others were currently nursing different forms of ailments, even as they added that their dependants were not spared.

Addressing the press in Onigbongbo area of the state, the chairman of the association, Magnus Maduka, said not only had the body lost 350 of its members due to the hardship they were subjected to due to non-payment of their severances, some families, according to him, have broken up due to the hardship they were subjected to.

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Maduka, who addressed the press alongside other exco members, including Messrs Chuks Elelegwu, Okey Igwe, Aliyu Olsiya and Obimowei Suoye and Mrs Charity Obuotor, said the banks that bought their former banks only took over the assets of the non-consolidated banks leaving out their liabilities which included their terminal benefits.

This was just as he recalled that the NDIC, during the meeting they first had with it, gave the assurance that
their severances would be paid after selling the assets of their former employers.

According to him, the former staff of the said five former banks, including Hallmark Bank, Gulf Bank, Metropolitan Bank, Trade Bank and All States Trust Bank were currently involved in the struggle as those of City Express Bank and Lead Bank had been paid their terminal benefits.

Maduka said the association later resulted in taking legal action when the Federal Government failed to heed their request, as contained in the passionate letter written to it based on the counsel given by the Ministry of Labour in a meeting with its officials in 2010.

Maduka, however, said the Industrial Court, which members appeared before it individually because they were not under a union when they were laid off, had since given judgment in their favour on the 23rd May 2022.

“We, therefore, strongly appeal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and to NDIC to be magnanimous enough to settle our claims without further ado.

“Our members have served this country in the banking industry for years of their lives. Some for over two decades. We are not responsible for the economic doldrums of our nation. We believe the delay in settling claims is uncalled for and could be misinterpreted to be callously punitive and not serving any positive purpose whatsoever,” he said.

“The aggregate of our benefits is just a pittance to CBN and NDIC. The CBN has the weightier matter of checkmating the free fall of the naira on its plate than the ‘crumb from her table’ that our members are demanding for some fifteen long years,” he added.