CDWR CAMPAIGN LEADS TO COURT VICTORY FOR VICTIMISED NURSE
CDWR’S INTERVENTION LEADS TO LEGAL AND POLITICAL VICTORY AS INDUSTRIAL COURT ORDERS REINSTATEMENT OF NURSE THOMAS AND AWARDS DAMAGES
The Lagos Division of the National Industrial Court (NIS) has ordered the immediate reinstatement of Nurse Thomas Olamide to her duty post at the Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese (Now Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, Ilese). Justice S.A. Yelwa gave this landmark judgement on Wednesday August 27, 2025. He also ordered the payment of salaries and allowances of Nurse Thomas from the date of her unlawful sack and awarded 5 million Naira in damages in her favour. This order was arrived at after the Court came to an incontrovertible conclusion that her sack was unlawful.
Nurse Thomas was victimised and sacked by the management of the institution because she was critical of the mismanagement of the institution and exposed some of the corrupt practices at the institution. Despite the Police involvement in the investigation, no management staff was arrested or prosecuted. Rather, it was Nurse Olamide who was victimised and unlawfully sacked.
After the sack and victimisation, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) and Comrade Rufus Olusesan, its National Chairperson, took up the matter and led a campaign for the reinstatement. CDWR leadership was able to secure the services of Mr Timothy Adewale of Adewale & Adewale Chambers to file a case at the Industrial Court in 2023. Our gratitude goes to the Adewale & Adewale Legal Practitioners for taking up the case diligently and efficiently at minimal cost.
It is worth mentioning that other similar issues of victimisation are still pending in Ogun State. For instance, Nurse Aishat Ajibola and some workers were sacked by the notorious management of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) for demanding better welfare and working conditions. Similarly, at least five workers were sacked by the management of Tai Solarin College of Education (Now Sikiru Adetona College of Science and Technology, Omu) over demand for settlement of unpaid salary of over 4 years. These victimisations and unlawful sacks took place in 2022 and 2023. Hence, CDWR is demanding justice for all pending cases of victimisation, unlawful sack and harassment; we are demanding reinstatements and compensation for all the unlawfully sacked workers.
The CDWR hereby calls on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), the affiliated unions and their leaderships to be up and doing in protecting Nigerian workers from the rampaging exploitative activities (casualization, contract staffing, unpaid salaries regime, non-remittance of pension and cooperative deductions, etc.,) of employers of labour and the government. CDWR demands a fighting and democratic trade union movement as the only way to build it into a strong movement, and calls on the rank and file workers including trade union activists to wage a concerted struggle to reclaim the unions.
Chinedu Bosah
National Publicity Secretary
E-mail: [email protected]