PASSEC Urges Labour Minister to Probe ASSBIFI President Olusoji Oluwole

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, has been asked to look into the allegations levelled against the president of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Mr Olusoji Oluwole.

In a petition filed by the Pan-African Society for Social and Economic Change (PASSEC), the Minister was urged to save the group from disrepute.

According to the petitioner, Mr Oluwole has refused to allow Comrade Amina Danesi to operate after being elected to lead the organisation after an election it described as free and fair.

PASSEC alleged that Mr Oluwole’s employment with Sterling Bank was terminated in 2020, rendering him ineligible for leadership under the Trade Union Act.

It was alleged that forged employment records—including falsified payslips, pension documents, and tax information—were produced with the complicity of certain staff members within Sterling Bank’s Human Resources Department, stressing that the leadership of the bank may be unaware of these activities.

PASSEC argued that these developments not only jeopardize the credibility of ASSBIFI but also posed a threat to the principles of trade unionism in Nigeria.

According to PASSEC, Mr Oluwole, since his leadership began in November 2022, has not been accountable, noting that officials within the Ministry of Labour have ignored formal petitions submitted by aggrieved ASSBIFI members, calling into question the transparency and accountability of the Ministry’s oversight role.

PASSEC appealed to the Minister to urgently order an independent investigation into Mr Oluwole’s current employment status, to be conducted jointly by the Ministry and Sterling Bank, tasking the lender to release his original payslip, pension, and tax records from 2020 to present.

It also want a directive to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to suspend recognition of the disputed ASSBIFI leadership pending investigation results and referral of the matter to relevant law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), for thorough investigation and potential prosecution.

“We stand ready to cooperate with your Ministry and the relevant agencies to ensure that justice is served and the sanctity of public and labour institutions is upheld,” an Executive Director of PASSEC, Comrade Basah Mohammed, stated in the petition.

Meanwhile, efforts by Business Post to reach out to Mr Oluwole on the petition were not successful, but someone from his camp, who begged not to be named, described the allegations as baseless, noting that they were being raised by those threatened by his quality leadership style.