Category: Lawal Ogienagbon

A LOT has happened in the past few weeks deserving of a writer’s attention. To pick a topic in such circumstance becomes a bit difficult because all the issues are worth commenting on. What does a writer do in such a situation? The easy way out is to hide under an omnibus subject as I am doing today in order to capture a bit of all the topical issues. For over one month, the global community focused on the football showpiece that took place in Russia.

Thirty-two nations, including Nigeria participated in the World Cup. The Super Eagles, contrary to our expectations, dropped in the first round. We were in good company though. Soccer giants Germany also crashed out in the first round. Argentina and Brazil were shown the way out in the second round and in the quarterfinal of the tournament. Two football greats, Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) and Lionel Messi (Argentina), did not stay long in the competition. These renowned footballers, who have between them won the Footballer of the Year prize five times each, and their countries were sent home the same day on June 30.

Their early exit did not detract from the good soccer that we saw during the competition. The Kylian Mbappes, Luka Modrics, Harry Kanes, Eden Hazards and Thibaut Courtois, among others, through their artistry showed that football will never lack good players at any point in time whether or not the reigning kings of the game are there. To me, the 19-year-old Mbappe of France was the greatest revelation of the competition. For him to have played at the world stage at that age and held his own against older players showed that the lad has a long way to go in the round leather game. It is no surprise that his country won the World Cup, with Mbappe contributing a goal to his squad’s four goals with which it beat Croatia in the July 15 final. He scored a four goals in seven matches and won the competition’s youngest player award. Mbappe is the second player after Pele to have played and scored at a World Cup final at age 19.

Croatia, which beat Nigeria in their opening game on June 16, came from nowhere to win the second place in the tournament. The tiny European country, with a population of about five million,  could have clinched the Cup, if luck had been on its side. With its supportive President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the Croatians played with grit and determination. They demolished Argentina 3 – 0 in the group stage, sending out a notice to other big footballing nations that they were in Russia for business. Unfortunately, their best was not good enough to see them lift the Cup on Sunday. But with their display, they left a message that henceforth, the World Cup will no longer be the exclusive preserve of the so-called footballing nations.

Executive Order 6, which President Muhammadu Buhari issued on July 5 to aid his administration’s fight against corruption, has been generating heat. To the National Assembly, the presidential order is ill-conceived. The lawmakers are arguing that since it is their duty to make laws for the country, it is in their purview to come up with such Order or law, if you like. According to them, it is not a law that can be made by presidential fiat. They likened the Order to the obnoxious Decree 2 of 1984, which granted the then military junta unfettered power to detain people for as long as it wished. The decree ousted the court’s jurisdiction to look into any case brought under it. Some senior lawyers seem to share the lawmakers’ position on the Order.

They described the Order as usurpation of legislative powers. ‘’The Order is unnecessary as it simply repeats laws, rules and regulations relating to corruption. There is really nothing new and all that is required is to implement existing laws rather than make executive orders. The Executive Order 6 exceeds the power of the President conferred by Section 5 of the Constitution’’, said former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president Olisa Agbakoba (SAN). To Law teacher Wahab Shittu, the President may have encroached on legislative powers with the Executive Order 6 in a manner which is derogatory of separation of powers. The Order is unnecessary given the fact that there are sufficient constitutional and statutory provisions to cover the subject.

The government thinks otherwise. Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed described the Order as the most potent weapon against corruption. ‘’The truth is that, having realised the potency of the Order in giving muscle to the fight against corruption, the corrupt and their cohorts have become jittery. They have every reason to be. Henceforth, it won’t be business as usual’’, he said.  It is good to fight corruption, but the war can only be won with the three arms of government working together. None should do anything that can call to question the integrity of the other, otherwise the needed trust and synergy to win the war will not be there.

Outgoing Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose is still brooding over his deputy Prof Kolapo Olusola-Eleka’s loss in Saturday’s election to Dr Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Fayose does not seem to realise that the party is over. He is deluding himself that Fayemi’s victory would be upturned at the tribunal. Fayose is a grassroots man, no doubt, but he overdid things. He has been given a dose of his own medicine. Fayose did not win in 2014 because he was more popular than Fayemi. He bulldozed his way through to office with the use of federal might. He knew the powers of the Federal Government. This was why he was shouting all over the place before the election that there were plans to finish him off before the poll so that APC would have an easy run into office. Nobody should shed tears for him. He is stewing in his own juice.

The rain is here and we have been witnessing its devastating effect in some parts of the country. Last Friday, flood swept away houses and people in Ogun State. We were yet to get over that when a similar thing happened in Katsina State on a worst scale. By Tuesday evening, no fewer than 52 persons were said to have died in the havoc wreaked by flood. 500 houses were swept away.  Stock is still being taken. It is likely that these figures may rise. We have yet to enter the thick of the rain and we are faced with these calamities. What will it be like when the rain becomes heavy?  Edo too has been hit, with one person reportedly swept away by flood. We can prevent these disasters before they happen. Our safety lies in our hands. If we keep our environment clean and stop blocking the drains, flood will not be a threat.

Before the end of the year, we will get a new national carrier, according to the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika. Everything, he says,  has been done to get the national carrier off the ground by December. Will it be called Nigeria Airways like its precursor which was bled to death by those in power? Are we ready to run a profitable national carrier? Or will this proposed airline be turned over to the ‘boys’ to manage and ruin just as they did to Nigeria Airways? Have we tied up the loose ends before thinking of embarking on this journey? To have a national carrier is good, but running it is no tea party. Sirika himself, knows that too well. What happened to Nigeria Airways in the past must not happened to this proposed national carrier.

IN the past, shrine was a word many, who considered themselves holy, did not like to hear. They believed that a shrine was synonymous with evil; a place of human sacrifice and  worshipping of deities. To them, the ideal place of worship is either the church or the mosque. But shrine took on a new meaning when legendary musician the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti gave his night club that name. Fela’s Shrine was a different kettle of fish. It was patterned after the age-old places of worship. He argued that if Christians and Muslims could worship in churches and mosques, he should be free to worship his ancestors too in his Shrine. And he did in his own way to the irritation of the holier-than-thou.

Fela’s Shrine was a spot to unwind and enjoy good music. Everybody was welcomed there.You did not require a code to enter because it was not a secret society’s meeting place.

The Shrine was a leveller of sorts. Once you paid your fees, you could sit anywhere and rub shoulders with the affluent who also thronged the place. Fans went to the Shrine for different reasons. Some for the music and yabis, some for the freedom to do whatever they liked and yet some for the smoke. For whatever reason you came to the Shrine, it was certain you will catch fun.

People got hooked on the Shrine because it was and is still a place where you could be yourself, no pretences, no airs. You are who you are and you mixed with all sorts of characters. Some big men in society (names withheld), who were the Abami Eda’s friends, were regular callers at the Shrine. At times, they came with friends who they invited over in order to disabuse their minds about what people say outside about the Shrine as not a befitting spot for the well trained. Let’s face it, most people outside did not see anything good in the Shrine. They felt it was a place for riff-raff – those that the sage, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, referred to as the  flotsam and jetsam of the earth.

Among the friends they came with were Europeans, who from their conduct appeared to enjoy themselves thoroughly during such visits. Some of them became ardent Fela fans after that and the Shrine became their second home. Among them were diplomats and investors. Today, we have come to know that one of such diplomats is the young French President Emmanuel Macron, who has openly identified with the Shrine. It is unheard of for many in his position, who are Nigerians and also patrons of the Shrine, to do what he did.

On Tuesday, July 3 he returned to the Shrine which he last visited when he worked in the French Embassy in Lagos 17 years ago. A President at the Afrika Shrine? It sounds unbelievable, but it is real. Not many in his shoes would have done what he did after assuming that exalted post. They would have kept their Shrine days to themselves so that the world would not look at them with what the Yoruba call oju buruku (a bad eye).

But he did not see anything wrong in visiting the Shrine and keeping it secret  like some hypocrites. Macron is proud of his Shrine days because they reminded him of his tour of duty in Nigeria. For him to have chosen to visit the Shrine shows that he holds the place in awe. “It is very emotional for me to come back to Nigeria 17 years after my stay ended. I did not imagine I would be back in these conditions. The Shrine is an iconic cultural hub. And I say it with a lot of humility that I recognise the importance of African culture’’, he told members of the audience last Tuesday night at the Shrine. For Macron, it was home-coming of sorts. Omobowale, the President, you are welcome anytime.

WHEN it was built in the late seventies, the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway stood in a class of its own. It was the best road in the country and travelling on it was every motorist’s dream. It was a breeze travelling to and from Ibadan on it. A motorist could make Ibadan in 45 minutes from Lagos. The road was smooth all the way. No broken down vehicles; no heavy duty trucks struggling for right of way with other motorists. Besides the reduction in travel time, the road was also safe. Accidents were few and far between.

That road, that same road has become a death trap today. The road has gone bad, with huge craters here and there. The road, which people could see from afar stretching and stretching in the horizon, has become deplorable. It is no longer a sight to behold, but an horror and a nightmare to those who ply it. The once beautiful Lagos – Ibadan road is now an eyesore, whether in the day time or at night. Driving on it is no more smooth, it is rough, tough and killing.

The road, it seems, is no more meant for light vehicles. Cars and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) look like ants in the midst of giant trucks, trailers and other articulated vehicles, which ply it almost every hour of the day. Whether traffic is moving or crawling,  heavy duty vehicles remain a constant and fearsome sight on the road. And this should not be so.  Whenever they move, they do not give way to other motorists, who they dare to move near them. Since it will be suicidal to do so, other motorists simply allow them to have their way.  It is obvious that they now own the road and do whatever they like on it. They park indiscriminately on it, leaving little or no space for other users.

They also fall on the road, spilling their inflammable content now and again. Truck and trailer drivers have become lords of the Lagos – Ibadan road. What is more. They seem to be above the law. Law enforcement agencies shy away from calling them to order. To avoid a row with them, the police, road safety corps personnel and traffic managers look the other way when they break the law. Nobody wants to incur their wrath. In the not too distant past, it was hell driving through Ogere, a portion of the Lagos – Ibadan road, because of the activities of fuel tanker drivers there. To beat the heavy traffic at Ogere then, motorists usually went through Iperu to rejoin the express in front and continue their journey.

The major problem, however,  is the frequent accident caused by these trucks. These accidents happen most times at odd hours. It could be as early as 4 am or as late as 11 pm or even in the day time. Whenever these accidents occur, traffic is hell, with motorists ending up spending the night or virtually the whole day on the road. The latest of such accidents happened last Thursday. For those who live off the expressway, these accidents have become part of life and living. They are forced to live with what has become a national problem because they do not have control over it.  They know that whenever these accidents occur, going home after the close of work is out of the matter. For those who are at home, going out is also ruled out. For these residents, it is  a lose – lose situation whenever these accidents happen.

Getting home last Thursday was nightmarish for them. There was gridlock everywhere after a fuel tanker burst into flame after its brake failed on the Otedola link bridge of the expressway. The tanker driver  knew he had a big problem in his hand. When his brake failed, he thought the way out was to use the road median to stop his vehicle. He put it in reverse and started hollering on his voice, asking other motorists to give way. It was a dire situation, with motorists driving bumper to bumper. How do you get out of the way of such a killer truck in the few seconds between life and death which stared many in the face?

Some promptly jumped out of their cars, abandoning the vehicles to their fate; others attempted to reverse, but before they could do so, the tanker carrying about 33,000 litres of petrol pulled off from its attached head, spilled its content on the highway and exploded. About 60 vehicles were burnt and 12 persons killed. The aftermath of the explosion was telling on many who live in that axis as all the roads leading to their homes were jam packed. Traffic on Agidingbi was at a standstill heading towards Ojodu Berger to take the underpass to link the expressway. The Oba Akran – Akilo – Ogba route was no better. As at the time I passed at  1 am on Friday, traffic was still terrible on these roads.

Many motorists muttered under their breath, wondering what kind of hassle they were being made to go through again because of the fault of another inconsiderate truck driver. Friends, relatives and neighbours sent messages to one another, on where they were. “Are you safe where you are?” Those who had got home asked those still outside. “Stay where you are tonight because the roads are clogged”, they advised. Despite such advice, some of us remained resolute to get home. What happened was not strange to those of us who are used to plying the expressway at ungodly hours most days of the week. That Thursday, my colleagues and I  braved it to get home after 1 a.m., using the Lagos Traffic Radio as our compass.

We drove with our ears glued to that station. Thursday, June 28, was a black day in all sense of the word. It is not a day we should wish for again. What should be uppermost in the authority’s mind now is to prevent a recurrence of that sad day. We cannot continue to be at the mercy of crazy truck drivers, who do not care about the lives of other road users. They do not even care about their own lives with the kind of vehicles they put on the road. If they do not care about their own lives, how can they care about those of others? It is high time the government moved against these truck drivers and their owners. It cannot continue to look at them while they waste precious lives on the road.

And the big question is : should such trucks be on the road at the same time with other vehicles? There is no place in the world where heavy duty trucks and cars move on the same road at the same time, except in undeveloped economies like ours. It will cost the country nothing if we regulate the movement of tankers, trailers and trucks. If we take this step, it will save a lot of lives that will be lost to freak accidents such as last Thursday’s. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones in the accident. May the souls of the departed find rest in the Lord’s bosom.

TO a cattle breeder,  the life of a cow is worth more than its weight in gold. His cow is his life. It may be accurate to say that he even values the life of his cow more than his own. If this is not so, we will not be witnessing killings in the North central by some supposed Fulani herdsmen over the rustling or killing of their cows. In the past few months, these herdsmen have gone haywire, dispensing justice their own way over the theft or killing of their cattle. For a stolen or dead cow, they are ready to wipe out a whole village.

Does it mean that the life of a cow is worth more than that of people in the razed village? I am not in any way supporting the stealing or killing of  cows. Stealing or killing a cow for no just cause is a criminal offence. There cannot be a justifiable reason for such an action. To say that the cow strayed into your farm and destroyed your crops cannot absolve you of that criminal act. If a cow grazes on a farm and destroys the crops therein, the best the farmer can do is to report to the police and not take the law into his hands.

Inasmuch as it is wrong for a cow to enter a farm and destroy crops all because it wants to graze, with its shepherd watching, it is also wrong for the farmer to kill the cow in anger. Two wrongs, they say, do not make a right. We have thrown this maxim overboard and that is why we are faced with the terrible situation of herdsmen killing, maiming, looting, raping and ransacking communities all over the place in the North central today. When they struck in Benue State on January 1, we all shouted and shouted. Our shouts amounted to nothing because those killings have continued unabated.

These herdsmen have continued to strike, killing without let and hindrance,  not only in Benue, but also in Nasarawa and Plateau. As a nation, we seem not to have an answer to this challenge. Or do we have an answer to it and are just simply afraid to tackle the matter head-on? Whatever it may be, we cannot fold our arms and allow things to continue like this following what happened in Plateau State last weekend. Eighty-six persons were killed when herdsmen attacked many communities there. The police gave that casualty figure. For the police to have confirmed 86 dead in those attacks, you can be sure that the casualty figure will be in the region of 120 and above.

What is irksome is that the killings happened despite assurances by those in power to stop them. The essence of government is to make the country safe, sound and secure for the people. Any government, which cannot provide maximum security for its citizens is not fit to be so called. A government that watches while the country burns is not a government. It is at best a caretaker, which has no power and authority to act when things go bad. I do not understand why these things are happening when we have a full-fledged government in place.

This was how Boko Haram started in 2009 before it got out of hand and became a monster that cannot be tamed. Even though the government claims to have degraded the insurgent group’s capacity to strike, we all know better. Boko Haram is still barking and biting to the chagrin of the people. We cannot afford to create another Boko Haram from these killer-herdsmen. These are no herdsmen, they are snipers trained to shoot and kill. Mercifully, the government also knows this. It has since discovered that these killer-herdsmen were gunmen trained by former Libyan strongman Muamar Gaddafi. They were said to have infiltrated the sahel region after Gadaffi’s death in search of something to do.

Some of them have settled in Nigeria. Since an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, they have turned to herdsmen carrying AK47 all over the place. Fishing out these killers should not be too difficult for the security agencies if they work with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). The association, which is the umbrella body of cattle owners should know the shepherd who take care of their sheep. In other words, these shepherd work for them and this being so, they should know their workers.

A principal cannot claim not to know his agent. In law, a principal is responsible for the actions of his agent. So in this case,  the cattle breeders should know those shepherd taking care of their sheep. Unless, they are saying that any shepherd can just pick up cattle from anywhere and start taking them around for grazing. That should not and cannot be the case. A herdsman must have a source and that source should be able to identify whoever its herdsman is whenever the need arises. From the way MACBAN has been defending herdsmen, it is obvious it knows one or two things about them.

MACBAN has a major role to play in resolving this debacle. The group can only play that role by being temperate in its use of words. This is no time to talk tough or compare the life of a man with that of a cow. This is the time to condole with the bereaved and not to add to their grief. We should not exacerbate the situation with the kind of words attributed to the North central zone Chairman of MACBAN Danladi Ciroma that : ‘’Fulani herdsmen have lost about 300 cows in the last few weeks – 94 cows were rustled by armed Berom youths in Fan village, another 36 cows were killed by Berom youths. In addition to that, 174 cattle were rustled and the criminals disappeared with them to Mangu. Since these cows were not found, no one should expect peace in the areas…’

This is not the time for such incendiary remarks, but the time to look for how to fix this problem. To Ciroma, ‘’the attacks are retaliatory’’. Can the killing of a man over the killing of a cow be termed retaliatory? I do not think so. To wipe out 86 people or more over the killing of 300 cows is the height of bestiality. There can never be a tenable reason for such a barbaric act. Never. As President Muhammadu Buhari noted on Monday, it is regrettable that human lives have become so cheap now in our country.

MARRIAGE is a sacred institution ordained by God. According to the story of Creation in the Bible, God formed woman so that man would not be alone. The Almighty saw the need for man and woman to live together as one from the outset. He knew that the world will be a better place if peopled by men and women. This was why He created everything in twos. God knew what is good for His creatures, but the good that the Lord meant for us as humans, we have turned  to something evil.

Little wonder God felt bad after creating man. The scripture says : “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart”. After creating man, God’s heart became heavy. He rued what to do to remedy the situation. Destroy man! But the Lord changed His mind because of one man – Noah.

We are living today because of the grace bestowed on Noah by God. It would not have cost God anything to wipe off man and beast from the face of earth as He initially contemplated before He changed His mind. God desires the best for us. Among all His creatures we hold the pride of place as humans. ‘’It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him’’, God said.

The Lord kept His word when He took one of the ribs of Adam and from it formed a woman. According to the scripture, ‘’and Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife : and they shall be one flesh’’.

God decreed marriage as a good thing for man and woman, but unfortunately, we have with our own hands turned it into a sour and bitter institution. What has become of us that we have turned such a sacred institution to what some today refer to as a curse. Marriage is not and will never be a curse. But can we really blame those who tend to see the institution as a curse? They formed that opinion because of some of the things they see happening in some marriages today. Marriages where the couples have become sworn enemies.

Ironically, the couples swore to be the best of friends; to keep and cherish themselves, no matter the circumstance. Sadly, they have broken that vow of for better, for worse. This is what we see happening around us these days. Love birds have suddenly become worst enemies, devouring one another in a fit of anger. What will make a man turn on his woman or vice versa? Infidelity? Jealousy? Hatred? Insecurity? Inferiority complex? Hardship? Whatever it may be, there is no reason good enough for couples to turn on one another overnight. How does it look for men and women who once professed love to one another to suddenly be the same ones turning guns, knives, cutlasses, swords and related weapons against one another.

When the beast in these couples seizes them, the result is often sorrow, tears and blood. In the past few months, we have heard of wives killing husbands or the other way round. Yet, they took the vow of “to have and to hold…for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part”. The implication of this vow is that couples will stand by one another come rain, come shine. In times of adversity, they will be there for one another and in times of prosperity, they will enjoy together.

Couples should be ready to face the good and hard times with equanimity. By sticking together, they can weather any storm. They can never achieve anything by killing themselves. What will a man gain from killing his wife or what will a woman gain from killing her husband? When this madness seizes couples, it does not know class, religion or region. We have seen lawyers killing their husbands; we have seen bankers killing their wives; we have seen businessmen killing their wives; we have seen the rich killing their wives and we have seen the poor killing their wives. It goes on and on like that.

What is the cause of this problem? Some say it is a societal thing. What has society got to do with it? Were they not in the same society before they got married. The fact of the matter is that the couples probably did not study themselves well before getting married. The man did not know what the woman was capable of doing nor the woman know the kind of person she was getting betrothed to before they walked down the aisle.

Marriage is not a bed of roses. It is a give and take institution. The secret is for either of the couple to be ready to give more than to receive. That way,  marriages will work and we will have less of these killings. The  “until death do us part” that ends the marital vow is a prayer for  couples to remain together until they become old and are called home by their Maker. It is not for couples  to kill themselves before their time.

 The pussycat metaphor

BEYOND their magisterial air, judges are still human. They laugh and crack jokes like any one of us. Even in their courts, you cannot beat the sense of humour of some of them.  Many, especially first timers, hold the court in awe. This courtroom aura rubs off on judges who litigants and the audience treat larger than life. The court and its judge are inseparable. The court is the judge and the judge is the court. If the judge wishes to make the court conducive, all he needs to do is to enlighten up the atmosphere. Some judges know this too well and so they do everything to make laymen feel at home in their courts. I have never been to the court of Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), but from what I have read about her in this paper, she is not one of those stuffy judges. She lets down her hair in the courtroom no matter how serious the matter at hand may be. Take what she did while delivering judgment in the case of Senator Joshua Dariye, former Plateau State governor, for instance.

While reviewing the facts of the case, she recalled the trip by some Plateau elders to the United Kingdom (UK) to protest against Dariye’s impeachment and the emergency rule imposed on the state in 2004. The trip, she noted, was uncalled for since Nigeria is no longer a colony of Britain. Nigeria, she declared, “is a sovereign  state”. They know Milord, but they need to be reminded as you did so that this practice of condoning corruption by showing ‘solidarity’ with those mismanaging our commonwealth will stop. And there is no better way to put it than the way your Lordship did with the nursery rhyme: “Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been? I have been to London to see the Queen…” Yes, they went to London to see former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but what did they come back with? Nothing. They just wasted public funds on frivolity. Shouldn’t they be made to refund the money spent? I leave that to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Former resourcing specialist at Tetra Pak West Africa Limited, Elo Ogodo, has accused the company of racial discrimination.

She said after putting in eight years of meritorious service and overcoming several challenges in her quest to contribute to the company’s success, she was sacked for being the only black employee in her team despite her excellent performance.

Ogodo said her  commitment to her job drew praises from her line manager who sent an email to congratulate her for a job well done.

She said she got married in 2016, but due to the demands of her job, she never had time for her marriage due to her job at Tetra Pak.

According to her, “she was overburdened with responsibilities by the defendant (Tetra Pak)”.

Her erstwhile husband, she said, complained ceaselessly that her job was keeping her away from her marital responsibilities, yet she remained dedicated to the job.

Ogodo said sometime in 2017, Tetra Pak sent her an urgent mail to travel to Kenya to fill an urgent position. Her husband refused to allow her travel.

Out of loyalty to Tetra Pak, she travelled to Kenya. On her return, her angry husband became confrontational.

“This belligerence culminated into the separation of the claimant and erstwhile husband,” Ogodo said.

She said she was shocked and emotionally traumatised, when, despite sacrificing everything for her job, she was sacked without fair hearing.

Through her lawyer Mr Chimaobi Onuigbo of Mike Ozekhome (SAN) Chambers, she has filed a suit at the National Industrial Court in Lagos, praying the court to hold that she was dismissed by the carton packaging and processing company on the basis of her race.

She is seeking a declaration that the termination of her appointment based on false allegations concocted to tarnish her performance records for eight years amounts to unfair labour practice and violates the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Termination of Employment Convention of 1982.

Ogodo is praying the court to hold that her sack was due to racial discrimination as she was never accused of any gross misconduct or criminality in the course of her job.

She sought an order directing Tetra Pak to pay her N7million as her severance benefits, N100million as damages for unfair labour practices which resulted in her psychological trauma, shock, mental agony, embarrassment, inconveniences, odium and obloquy, and N100 million as punitive, aggravated and exemplary damages for unfair labour practices against her by Tetra Pak.

The claimant said she was employed as a human resources and administrative officer on September 27, 2010, and in 2014 was promoted to a resourcing specialist role managing all white collar activities within the Greater Middle East & Africa (GME&A) cluster, namely Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Dubai, Turkey, Egypt as well as South, East and West Africa.

She said despite not being able to speak Arabic and her inability to make phone or video calls to Arab countries due to restrictions imposed by Western countries, she met 93 per cent of her recruitment requirements and was rated the third best performer in the company.

Ogodo said despite risking everything for her job, it came as a rude shock to her when she was asked to sign for the severance of her contract.

She got a mail from her immediate boss Seema Dsouza accusing her of not filling a position in Iran and of giving a colleague, Mr Herman Botha, a feedback that was not resourcing related. She was informed that two managers, both Indians, requested that she be relieved of her duties.

Ogodo, in her response to the allegations, explained that it was agreed that another recruiter be engaged in Iran to help fill the vacancy, which was yet to be done, and that the feedback she gave Botha when he sought her advice on team bonding activities was in the company’s overall interest.

She said despite being given six French roles, she was stopped from taking French lessons along with her colleagues, who were allowed to continue with their classes.

According to her, when she refused to append her signature on the termination letter based on the allegations, she got a termination notice with a threat that her entitlements would be reduced if she did not sign.

Ogodo claimed she was not given a fair hearing, and that racial slurs directed at her, being the only black person in a team comprising Pakistani, white South Africans, Indians, Saudi, Tunisian and Turkish.

“The termination of her contract is unconnected to the performance of her duty, which she discharged excellently well, but was occasioned by an ulterior motive precipitated by prejudice, bigotry and racial discrimination against the claimant by the defendant,” her statement of claim reads.

The claimant said a Tunisian, Ben Dhouah, whom she was directed to help, had 42 per cent recruitment rate, while she had 93 per cent, yet Dhouah was retained.

She urged the court not to allow the “sham reasons” given for her sack to stand, so as not to put her career in jeopardy.

But, the defendant denied the allegations of racial discrimination, urging the court to dismiss the suit.

Tetra Pak said Ogodo was placed on performance improvement plan and that she was relieved of her duties when she did not meet expectations.

The matter was adjourned till September 13.