There was heavy gridlock along the busy Yola Gombe road on Tuesday, as over
400 workers block the road leading to the only national motor Park in the
Adamawa state capital Yola, protesting the molestation of female causal workers
by the Indians working in Adama Beverages limited producers of Faro water and
juicy owned by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The protesting workers who carried placards accused the Indians managing
the company for Atiku of molesting Nigerian female workers during working hours
and massive sacking of Nigerians replacing them with Indians.
The workers who also called on the ministry of labour and productivity to
immediately wade into the inhuman treatment of Nigerian workers in their father
land, said that the Chief Operating Officer ( COO) Mr, Francis Vazheparambbil,
must be prosecuted inline with the 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
during the days of slave trade.
The spokesman of the protesting workers Abdullah Maigida Bello who spoke on
behalf of others said ” since the Indians came to manage this company they make
us work like slaves in our own country with no commensurate income”.
“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 this Indians”. The COO is now bringing into
country even during this pandemic his countrymen to replace Nigerians,”.
“The Group Chief Operating Officer Of Priam of 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 added,”Even some of the the jobs meant for junior staff and causals have
been taking over by this unqualified Indians he brought.”
Also speaking, the chairman of Senior Staff Union of Food and Beverages
Staff Union of Nigeria, Adama Beverages Limited Branch, Comrade Puke Jackson
,told journalists that some staff were giving quary for holding meeting that
did not affects the production of the day.
“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 , declined comment saying” I don’t have any business with
the Nigerian journalists ,”i will not
talk to you people “.