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Olusegun
Aganga, Nigeria’s Minister of Trade and Investment
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22nd
July, 2013
The
Honourable Minister for Trade and Investment,
Federal
Ministry of Trade and Investment,
Old
Federal Secretariat,
Abuja
Dear Sir,
THE
INTIMIDATION, HUMILIATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF MRS ABIMBOLA PATRICIA YAKUBU
We are solicitors to
Mrs. Abimbola Patricia Yakubu who we shall hereinafter call ‘’our client’’ and
it is upon her instructions we write you this petition.
The attached letter
dated 3rd July 2013 with the subject, ‘’Plea for reconsideration of my
transfer’’, and written by Mrs Abimbola Patricia Yakubu speaks for
itself.
As a professional and
independent group of lawyers committed to the promotion and enforcement of
rights, including those of vulnerable and minority groups, deepening of
democracy and governance and the expansion of public interest law, we are
concerned about the following personal and public interest issues raised by our
client in her letter addressed to Hajia Ladi Ibrahim, Chairperson, Governing
Board of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria:
a.
The
inappropriate language of Mr. Jim Osayande Obazee, Executive Secretary and
Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
We
note that inappropriate language deployed by the said Mr. Obazee sought to
dehumanise our client.
b.
The inhuman
and unfriendly working condition under which our client worked for the said Mr.
Obazee.
Note
that the practice of keeping a married woman with young kids beyond the
official working hours stipulated by the Civil Service Rules is unethical and
an abuse of our client’s rights as guaranteed by Section 34 (1) (a), (b) and
(c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
c.
The purported
transfer of our client vide the letter of transfer dated Friday 24th May, 2013, effected without recourse to laid
down Civil Service Rules, practice and procedure.
Further,
we note that the purported transfer of our client, a gross abuse of rules,
indubitably amounts to constructive dismissal. The attached letter indicates
that our client reports to a very junior officer at the Financial Reporting
Council of Nigeria’s desk at the Corporate Affairs Commission, Kaduna.
d.
The sexual
harassment of our client.
Sir, issues (a) to
(d) we have raised above are grave. We humbly request a formal but thorough
ministerial investigation of our complaint against Mr. Jim Osayande Obazee. And
whilst we also urge that disciplinary measures be exercised where appropriate,
we humbly request that the purported transfer of our client be rescinded
pending the completion of investigation.
Please, accept the
assurances of our warmest and highest regards whilst thanking you on behalf of
our client, Sir.
Yours Sincerely,
Abdul
Mahmud, ESQ.
President
Cc:
1.
National Human Rights Commission,
Abuja
House
of Representatives,
Abuja.
3.
Head of Service of the Federation,
Federal
Secretariat,
Abuja
July 03, 2013
Hajia Mariam
Ladi Ibrahim
Chairperson,
Governing
Board of Financial Reporting Council,
Dear Madam,
PLEA FOR
RECONSIDERATION OF MY TRANSFER
My name is Abimbola Patricia Yakubu (Mrs.) a staff of Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria on GL 12. A mother of three children, all under the age of eleven (11) years. I have worked in the Administrative Department and the Library Unit of the Organization at different times until the year 2010 when I was redeployed to the Executive Office as Executive Office Manager under the leadership of the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jim Osayande Obazee.
I had a close working
relationship with him as a Personal Assistant and as an Executive Office
Manager to the best of my ability. For the period of years that I worked with
him, I have always been closing as late as 10pm and sometimes beyond. I have
been very loyal, committed and dedicated to duty. I have never for one day
shown any sign of insubordination.
Early this year, I
noticed the Executive Secretary’s attitude changed towards me. I met with him
on several occasions, asking him what I have done wrong but he would not say
anything rather, he would yell and scream at me saying all manner of
unprintable words like: “when I am done with you, you will cry”; “when I am
done with you, you will hang yourself”.
So I withdrew and kept to myself. He
continued in this attitude towards me, not relating with me and giving my
subordinates my job to do (the things I should be doing). When eventually he
yielded to pressure from people to say what I have done wrong, the following
are the things he said I did:
Ø Sometimes
in February that he traveled to Abuja and his driver, Mr. John Sambo was not at
the airport to pick him. The blame was pushed to me. I did my job by notifying
the driver on Sunday night, which was the night before he travelled. As usual I
was expecting the driver to be on duty since he did not take permission from me
to be away from station. But unfortunately when I called him on Sunday, he said
he was in Nassarawa for the weekend. At least, he ought to be at work the next
morning, so I instructed him to be at the airport early enough to pick the ES.
Ø He
alleged that my husband sent a threat text to him.
Ø That
I did not remind him of the Council ex chairman’s daughter’s wedding and
another programme he was to send a representative to. Even though the
representative, Mr. Osawe still made the programme.
Ø That
I once called my children telling them not to disturb their Daddy when we
travelled together. This has been a key point he stressed upon so much.
These are mere
excuses because he had already given my work to my subordinates and have made
me redundant coupled with the psychological and emotional pains I was going
through from all the threats he’s been threatening me with. All of these have
been on since the beginning of this year 2013. Sometimes in April, I wrote to
request for a 5 day casual leave from 25days out of my 30 days annual leave to
travel and attend to a family commitment outside the country. But, he bluntly
turned down my request. I had to lose the ticket for the trip even though I
showed it to him.
Thinking that was
enough punishment and with no other event happening in between, to my greatest
surprise, I was called by the HR manager on Friday 24th of May, to
receive a letter of transfer to Kaduna State, where we do not have a functional
office, but a liaison desk at the Corporate Affairs Commission. And that I, a
level 12 officer should be reporting to a level 10 officer. I still did not
show any sign of reaction but rather, I complied.
However, I need to
state here that, he has been making sexual advances at me since the inception
of the office, and I’ve always stood my ground that I fear God and I have no
reason why I should do this against my husband, because I love him. Moreso, he
is a Pastor in The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
We have had very
close working relationship together which actually gave room for the sexual
demands. I close very late at night as a civil servant, not because we really
have much work to do, but that’s when he finds it most convenient to talk to me
about his love for me. He makes sure everyone has closed and we are left alone
in the office to make his demands.
I am grateful to God
for the kind of husband I married who is very understanding. Besides, there is no
sexual move or plea he made that I did not tell my husband, from the very
beginning of the advances. So, my husband is very much aware of the goings on
but, he trusts me.
Even when I told the Executive Secretary that my husband is
aware of his moves he tells me it is not true, that there is no man who will
allow his wife go through such since all men are jealous. He then warned me
sternly not to ever mention goings on the office with my husband.
We have had to travel
around the country together to places like, Calabar, Uyo, Enugu, Ibadan,
Ijebu-Ode, Abuja and Minna. These were occasions he would have had his way had
God not helped me, if I had not been determined to stand firm and if my husband
was not solidly behind me.
All of the time when we ought to retire back to our
hotel rooms he would call me to either come to his room if we are in the same
hotel or he would call to tell me he was coming to my room. Other times when we
stay in different hotels, like when we are in Abuja, he would call me sometimes
very late at night to tell me he was on his way to my hotel. November 2012 is
an example.
He called me very
late at night while we were in Abuja that he was coming to my hotel room. I
immediately called my husband who was out of the country at that time to notify
him and he said I should be tightly dressed and safe guard myself. I use an MTN
line; I believe if the authority would demand to get the voice data from MTN or
even ask for the call log, my points here can be verified.
He has asked me on
several occasions to leave my husband and marry him that his marriage was an
error and he is absolutely sure I was meant to be his wife, but that he
hurriedly got married to the woman he is with right now because of pressure
from office in his early days in NASB to have a wife of wont be allowed to go
on any international trip.
He has told me how
him and his wife are two different people that is the reason why he does not go
back home early from work, but that if he marries me, he would be closing by
4pm and we would have as much as 10 children as against the two he has from his
wife; and that the gap between the two children is wide because he does not
have time for her. Then, I have always advised him on this and told him
countless times that if he can go back home and rechanneled all the love he
said he has for me on his wife his marriage would work better.
He had asked that I
run along with him to America and we both get married there and that he would
establish me, and I told him that can only work out if he was willing to marry
me, my husband, my three kids and all my dependants. He never liked it when I
bring my husband into our discussion that’s why he asked me to stop picking his
calls while at work.
On some occasions
also, he has asked me not to call him ‘Oga’ anymore but to call him Jim and I
would refuse. I had to keep telling him not to treat me differentially but to
treat me like any other staff. “Don’t spoil me sir” I would tell him. “you are
my oga and I will always treat you so”.
A few text
messages I still have on my phone will show the close working relationship we
had.
I strongly believe my
persistent refusal to his sexual demands is the real reason for this
OPPRESSION, MALICIOUS ATTITUDE, HUMILIATION and INTIMIDATION.
In addition to all
these, in spite of the fact that I have not in any way objected to all his
harassment and oppression in the office, I accepted to obey and accept the
transfer in good faith. Yet, few days after I resumed in Kaduna, I got a memo
asking me to report through a GL8 officer on ground to a GL10 officer and that
on no account should I leave my post without clarifying from him who should
receive directives from the Executive Secretary directly. (Memo attached).
I just want to state
here clearly that this is a manifest evidence of a personal molestation or
vendetta. Before I left Lagos for Kaduna I went to see the GL10 officer he said
I should report to, to get some guide lines as to what the job entails, asking
her to put me through. He sent for her and asked that I be ordered to leave the
office premises immediately and report in Kaduna within 48 hours or face the music.
He would not let me have the time to speak with the officer in charge of the
department. I saw it all as a way to make me go to work without any tool: like
building bricks without straws.
I still accepted to
go immediately despite my health condition which is as a result of the trauma I
have been through lately in his hands; including the verbal threat I got from
him.
However, I have been
in Kaduna for four weeks now not working for my salary as there is really
nothing to do. I am therefore appealing to you ma to use your good office to
return me back to the Lagos office where I can work and serve Nigeria better.
I am however receiving treatment right now in
Lagos based on the doctor’s recommendation from Kaduna. I have tendered the
doctor’s Excuse Duty Form to my office in Lagos.
I want to please ask
ma, that if you deem it fit and necessary, I would like to be present in person
to speak for myself should he deny the authenticity of all these my claims.
Thank you so very
much ma. We see in you more than a chairperson but a Mother and a Voice of
Hope.
Yours Sincerely,
A.
P.
Yakubu (Mrs.)
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