The Oyo State House of Assembly has directed its Committees on employment, Labour, Productivity and Pension and Security, and Strategy to summon the management of Sumal Food Limited, the representatives of the workers’ Union to the floor of the Assembly to explain the cause of the incidence which claimed lives of two of their workers during a protest in Ibadan.
The directives by the Assembly was aimed at unraveling the immediate cause of the incidence and ensure that the injured workers are duly compensated and cared for at the expense of the company.
The House also directed the Police and the Head of Operation Burst to provide a report on the incident and ensure that culprits face the full wrath of the Law
The issue was contained in a motion of Matter of Urgent Public Importance Co Sponsored by Honourable Yusuf Adebisi (Ibadan Southwest 1, Deputy Chief Whip and Hon Oluwafemi Oluwafowokanmi (Ibadan South West II).
In the motion, titled, “Urgent Need to call for Immediate Investigation into the Unfortunate Incident That Claimed Lives and Injured Many at “Yale 3” Branch of Sumal Food Limited, Oluyole Industrial Estate, Ibadan, they noted with deep concern the alarming rate at which multinational companies, particularly in Ibadan, are maltreating Nigerians and neglecting their welfare despite the hard labour they go through.
The development followed the dreadful incident of assault, killing, and malhandling which occurred on Monday July, 1, 2024 at “Yale 3” branch of Sumal Foods Limited, producer of Yale biscuits and a range of other snacks in Oluyole Industrial Estate in Ibadan South West Local Government Area,where two persons reportedly died and several others sustained injuries from live bullets fired by Nigerian Police officers and Operation Burst personnel.
They noted that the workers of this food processing company were holding a peaceful protest over their poor working conditions, the neglect of injured workers, and the alleged misappropriation of food palliatives by top management when the incidence occurred
“The workers’ grievances included unsafe working conditions, lack of helmets and safety boots, and being treated like slaves. One worker described the working conditions as akin to “hell fire.” The situation escalated around 3:15 pm when an expatriate manager called for security reinforcement, allegedly spreading false information about workers rampaging the facility. This led to trigger-happy officers fired live bullets, resulting in two deaths and filling the environment with tear gas and bullets.
“Recalled that one of the victims, Bode, was a student from Lagos, seeking to earn money before returning to continue his education. His dreams were tragically cut short, leaving his colleagues in severe pain.
They also recalled the tragic death of a 21-year-old student of University of Ibadan, Gbadebo Richard, who fell into a soap-making machine at a factory owned by Henkel Nigeria Limited, makers of WAW detergent and bar soap, in July 2020.
“Gbadebo, a 300-level student of European Studies at University of Ibadan, was on a holiday job at the factory in Oluyole, Ibadan, due to the COVID-19 school closures. Shockingly, he fell into a making machine and his death went unnoticed until blood was seen coming out of the machine.
They also recalled that a similar unfortunate incident occurred at the British American Tobacco Company, Ibadan, where a Nigerian casual worker died from exposure to nicotine and tobacco materials, and no action was taken, saying these distressing incidents happened regularly in various industries, particularly in those owned by Lebanese nationals in Ibadan.
“Over time, numerous petitions, complaints, and discussions have highlighted the unruly behavior of many expatriates on Nigerian soil, who maltreat casual workers, underpay them, and subject them to poor working conditions. This situation is deeply saddening and requiring urgent attention.
Hon Adebisi in Interview with correspondent of the Assembly said the issue was brought to the House in order for them to unravel the mystery behind the development.
The lawmaker who condemned the sporadic shooting by the police which claimed lives of two of the protesting workers said he was at the scene of the protest the day it happened and was informed that the root cause of the protest was failure of the management to distribute to them portion of the parliative given to them by government.
