Former Zenith Bank Worker Laments Company's Refusal To Pay His Entitlements Despite Losing A Limb After Wrongful Suspension, Working For Over 16 Years

February 8, 2022 Charles

Zenith Bank

A former staff member of Zenith Bank Plc, Biodun Ooja, has called on the founder and CEO of the bank to immediately pay his entitlements, having served the bank for over 16 years.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, Ooja noted that he joined the company in 2006 and was later promoted to the role of a supervisor. Unfortunately, according to him, one of his subordinates made an error that made earned them suspension for a month.

Zenith Bank

According to him, the suspension made him depressed, after which he was involved in an auto crash. One of his legs was amputated only for him to later discover that the supposed error that earned him a suspension never came from his side but from the bank as there was no shortage against initial claims.

Upon resumption to work as a physically challenged person, Ooja said he ensured he worked efficiently in 2020 and was entitled to a certain amount as a bonus for the working year. However, he was denied, he claimed.

Ooja added that in 2021, he made efforts to resign but his wife and friend encouraged him to stay. He said on May 21 of the same year, the Zonal head, however, made him sign a resignation letter.

Ooja said based on the mode of resignation, he was assured that the bank was going to take care of him but he was surprised when they fell short of expectation.

He further alleged that the bank had profiled him as a debtor and had liquidated the credit card linked to his current account in the bank – Zenith.

He pleaded with Zenith Bank and Jim Ovia, Chairman of the bank, to show him mercy, saying he became physically challenged courtesy of the bank’s errors. He is asking to be paid what is left of his severance package.

He said: “I joined Zenith Bank on January 12, 2006. After 12 months, I was given a supervisor role and then on May 28, 2008, I was the cash officer of the Akure branch of Zenith bank, one of the most efficient tellers that I have as a supervisor had a shortage of N400, 000, I believe the money was not stolen by him.

“The teller was sent on suspension of one month, I was also sent on suspension of one month, but when we rejoined the system, we learnt that when you have a shortage, it’s better not to declare it because the bank will sanction you.

“I got suspended for one month exactly on the 18th of November, 2008. I was travelling to Lagos on November 20 not knowing that I was already depressed by that situation; I had a very terrible auto accident and lost my left leg. I started working with prosthetics after my discharge in mid-2009.

“I rejoined the system and was posted to another unit. The unit I was posted to was to reconcile the figure of cash with the actual fund transfer.

“What surprised me was that while I was in the hospital, nobody did the reconciliation. When I resumed, I started the reconciliation and found out that the same general ledger account that was supposed to be in shortage, the reason why they suspended me, was actually in overage of N1.7 million which implied that the bank. If they had been doing their reconciliation on time, they would have known that there was no shortage in the first place.

“Irreversibly, my left leg has been amputated in the process but I didn’t get angry, I assumed that’s my destiny. In 2012, I was transferred to marketing and I was making income for the bank. On average, I presume that I was a very efficient staff. I never wanted to be seen as physically challenged, I put in my best, I was called efficiency master, meaning that I was a very efficient staff member.

“In 2020, I worked throughout that year with bruises on my leg just to make sure that I sustained my name as an efficient staff member. In 2021, they were supposed to pay me my bonus for 2020, they denied me, I was depressed.

“What was their explanation? They explained that there was N4.3 billion that Zenith Bank hid from Ondo State Government since Olusegun Agagu left the government as governor. They had settled Ondo State Government out of court with N300 million and said that all of us who were at the Akure branch were not entitled to any bonus.

“What surprised me was that one of the culprits involved in hiding the money was paid N340, 000. My bonus for 2020 should be around N2.5 million/ N3 million, from my own estimates, so I resigned.

“I wanted to resign but my wife was bothered about what we’d eat, she’s hard-working but only takes care of my children. She panicked. My friend in the system asked me what I’d eat when I resigned, and I said I didn’t know but I knew I’d be fine when I resigned.

“I was given an opportunity but on the 21st of May 2021, my zonal head called me into his office and there was a letter that was sent, asking me to sign. What was the content of the letter? That I thank Zenith Bank for giving me the opportunity to have worked with them and that I have resigned my appointment on 2021, May 21; I signed.

“My expectation was that they were going to take care of me. Literally, when someone is made to sign such a letter, you get paid a maximum of 24 hours after you get laid off.

“But, after one month, no alert. In the third month, on August 3rd, they credited me with N5.4 million approximately and I had told them earlier, having worked with them for 16 years, I had a debt portfolio of N6 million, they paid me, a physically challenged man, orchestrated by them. But they paid me N5.4 million, leaving me in N600, 000 debt, is that what I deserve? I don’t think so.

“I asked why they delayed my payment, my lawyers told me they’d pay me any amount but said how much do I think I deserve considering that I worked efficiently and lost my leg while serving them.

“I said there are many thieves in the system who took money for many years before they were busted so if thieves could be paid so much, why should I, who never erred against Zenith Bank, who was suspended and in the process, lost my leg, and I did not take any revenge against anybody, why should I be paid lesser than the amount requested?

“I wrote to Jim Ovia, he never replied me. My friends told me he’s a good man, I was only wondering why he had not interfered? How much is N30 million to the contribution I have made to Zenith Bank?

“I got a call from my bosses who were working with Jim Ovia and they said Biodun, let’s work together. I’m the branch manager of Globus bank, Akure Branch but here’s what baffled me, my private employer told me to go and make a request for my statement of indebtedness. I sent a mail to Zenith Bank and they replied to me with a statement that they paid me N5.4 million, but my account was in debit, why was my account in debit?

“They liquidated the credit card to my current account in Zenith saying that I owed them and they started charging me interest every month. I wanted to ask for a credit facility in another organisation and they told me that Zenith Bank had reported me as a debtor to them.

“Let the Zenith Bank pay the balance of my Severance package that I asked from them which is equivalent to N26 million into my Globus Bank Account, Zenith Bank must write off the debit balance on my current account having made me default on my debit card because of their refusal to pay me, a physically challenged man. Zenith Bank must clear my credit report that I do not owe them. Zenith Bank should write a letter of apology to me, they have my address.”

When contacted, the bank asked SaharaReporters to send a mail stating the enquiries to an email address. But the bank had yet to reply to the mail as of the time of filing this report.

An official of the bank who answered the call stated, “You want to hear our side of the story? Could you do us a mail?”