By Musa Ahmed
The busy Yola Gombe highway experienced heavy gridlock Tuesday as over 500 workers of former Vice president Atiku Abubakar’s Adama beverages factory blocked the road in protest.
The workers were protesting alleged inhuman treatment by the Indian managers of the factory, sexual molestation of female staff, casualisation, massive sacking of Nigerians and replacing them with Indians among others.
The workers accused the Chief Operating Officer ( COO) of the company Mr, Francis Vazheparambbil, of dehumanizing Nigerians, demanding that he must be prosecuted inline with relevant Nigerian laws.
The workers carrying placards with inscription “Indians must go” ” we don’t want Indians” “we say no to causalization” ” we are not slaves” and many other inscriptions,lamented that Nigerian workers are treated in the company like slaves.
The spokesman of the protesting workers Abdullah Maigida Bello who spoke on behalf of others said since the Indians came to manage the company they have turned the local staff to slaves with no comessurate payment
“Some of us have been on causal list of the company for 12 years, what they do is disengaging and reengaging without paying, most of the permanent staff including some senior staff appointments were terminated without payment but were converted to contract staff by the Indians. The COO is now bringing Indians into the country even during the pandemic his countrymen to replace Nigerians.
“The Group Chief Operating Officer Of Priam Companies that manages Adama Beverages Limited, Mr. Francis Vazheparambbil,has succeeded in bringing Indians from his village to take over the management of the company as permanent staff while we Nigerians who are more educated and qualified were terminated and re-engaged as contract staff,” he stated.
He also said that even some of the jobs meant for junior staff and causals have been taken over by these unqualified Indians.
Also speaking, the chairman of Senior Staff Union of Food and Beverages Staff Union of Nigeria, Adama Beverages Limited Yola Branch, Comrade Puke Jackson, told journalists that some staff were giving query for holding meeting.
“We came in as a union to intervene but the management seems to have taken a stand, this has been the problem since Indians took over the company, he has brought a lot of Indians to displaced us Nigerians who are better qualified.”
When journalists contacted, the Group Chief Operating Officer of the company Mr Francis, he declined comment saying” I don’t have any business with Nigerian journalists ,”i will not talk to you people “.
