The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has urged Stat Oil, a Norwegian firm to reinstate one of its staff, Mr. Moses Adie, who was sacked over allegations of rudeness in 1993.
Mr. Adie had petitioned the House against Stat Oil now Equinor, ‘On acquaintance of complaints on extreme persecution, incessant harassment, unjust victimization, serious threat to life and purported termination of appointment.’
During the committees’ deliberation on the matter on July 15, 2021 in Abuja, where Stat Oil was represented with Mr Adie in attendance, it was noted that the issue had been resolved some years ago by a court in Lagos, that the petitioner be reinstated, but that the Norwegian company appealed the judgment and did not comply.
That over the years the petitioner has been left in the limbo because while the appeal was being handled by a Lagos Court, the case file disappeared and could not be found till date.
It was when Mr Adie got frustrated that he petitioned the House committee which in turn summoned the oil outfit to appear before it for the problem to be resolved.
The company was in the National Assembly represented by two of its lawyers during the hearing and the committee haven listened to both sides said it was only proper that Equinor (formerly Stat Oil) should follow the due process and either disengage the petitioner and pay him all his entitlements or reinstate him with same.
The committee noted that if the issue is not amicably resolved, it will breed a lot of bad blood, especially given the fact that the petitioner has suffered untold hardship since he was said to have been sacked without the due processes followed.
The Law makers also expressed dismay at the rate that some Nigerians are being maltreated especially by foreign multinational organisations without minding that it is an aberration, pointing out that the case is different when such companies are treated fairly by their Nigerian counterparts.
The committee also said that justice would be done when Mr Adie is given his rights to assuage the agony he suffered in the hands of the police when the allegation was leveled against him.
He was humiliated, arrested and detained having being tortured before his job was taken away, adding that he has suffered untold hardship with justice yet to be done.
