Ex-banker on hunger strike, sleeps on the street

The tent and Odunayo

Olubiyi Odunaro, a 53-year-old former employee of Hallmark Bank Plc., has embarked on hunger strike to protest against non-payment of his terminal benefit.
 
Besides, the ex-banker has turned a garden on Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way into his new home, vowing to remain there until he is paid his benefits.
 
Hallmark Bank was one of the banks which did not meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s recapilatisation policy in 2005 resulting in its folding up.

Odunaro, a senior manager of the defunct bank, said he began the hunger strike on November 12.
When our correspondent visited him on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, opposite Opebi U Turn Road junction, on Tuesday, he was seen reading a novel ‘Long walk to freedom’ by Nelson Mandela.
 
He explained that he embarked on the protest to expose the insensitivity of the Federal Government to pay the terminal entitlements of over 14,000 employees of the 14 banks that failed to meet up with the recapitalisation policy.
 
Odunaro said he wrote President Goodluck Jonathan on October 24 informing him of his decision to embark on the hunger strike if the agencies concerned did not pay them their entitlements on or before October 31.
 
He said, “I feel downcast with the turn of events in our country and I drew the passion to embark on a hunger strike from my disenchantment to the deliberate denial of common citizens’ rights.
 
“Before, I began this hunger strike, I sought the consent of my family members and I also underwent a comprehensive medical examination. I erected that tent with N27,000 and it is now my new home.”
Asked if his health has not been deteriorating, Odunaro said, “Though I take water at 8pm everyday, It’s gradually taking a toll on me as I have started losing weight.
 
“My personal doctor came to examine me on Friday and he said I am not doing bad health wise. There have been pleas from friends and other loved ones to end this strike. But, I will continue with the hunger strike until the FG pays us our lawful entitlements.”
 
He lamented that despite the laid down procedures contained in the Guidelines and Incentives on Consolidation in the Nigerian Banking Industry, they had not been attended to.
 
He said, “It wasn’t our wish or our making to be out of jobs. The CBN in its own wisdom introduced the recapitalisation policy and afterwards withdrew the operating licence of Hallmark Bank where I worked and 13 other banks for failing to meet up with the recapitalisation policy deadline.
 
“But, seven years on, the guidelines on consolidation which make provision for our compensation in view of the development had not been followed.”
 
He said despite writing several letters of appeal as a group to the FG and other relevant agencies concerning the issue, they had been ignored.
 
He said, “On a personal note, I even took it upon myself to get President Goodluck Jonathan informed by posting series of comments about this issue on his Facebook page.
 
“Unfortunately, nothing has been done and many of us live a deplorable way of life with the majority unable to meet obligations to their children and other dependants.
 
“Thirty-eight people from just three banks that I know of have died and one of the employees of Hallmark Bank committed suicide in Aba, Abia State, as a result of his inability to eke out a living.”
 
(Punch)
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  1. You really have a case to proof.

    I pity your condition.

    Government should find means of paying these people there entitlement instead of fighting over insufficient money for refreshment at Aso Rock after budgeting 1.3 billion for these so called nonsensical leader.

    NONSENSE .

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  2. Quite pathetic, but my brother I am not sure if this your move will ever bother any government in this country where lives are not important to any. You may starve to death and nothing will happen, we have very insensitive people in the corridors of power, so take it easy.

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  3. Yany have said it all. I feel for you sir. But its quite unfortunate that we have a government that is insensitive to the plight of its people. Go back home and eat so you can live and hope for a better tomorrow.

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  4. man, take it easy oooo

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  5. you are alone ooo

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  6. I feel your pains sir, but unfortunately we are citizens of NO government. Too much disregard for human lives. Sir go back home nd meet your family bcos I can bet u that u will b there for ages nd nothing will happen, a country where pensioniers who have worked for over 30yrs

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  7. Just take it easy because of your love ones and your family, when u die they will still be enjoying their lives, let God judge them according to their wickedness. we don't have a listening government.

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  8. Mr Odunayo please go home to your family and loved ones.If Nigeria does not care about your plight and others at least your family and loved ones care. . .please go home now.

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  9. My dear brother, the fact that Hallmark Bank Plc is dead and your terminal benefits are not paid is not the end of the life. My kindid advise to you is to look for another job no matter how small you will be paid unless you do not have any certificate. Your certificate is an asset for you. If you end up loosing your life in this process, honestly your wife and children will continue to life. This incident is happening to a lot of Nigerians not you alone and yet they do not commit sucide.

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  10. My brother please take ur bed and return home becos this government does know if u exist.BH boys r killing pple ur president is silent bcos of his interest in 2nd term,he doesn't want Northerners to move against his 2nd term agenda so hes silent.

    Business owners and government movers are all greedy fellows so look unto God for justice

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  11. may the lord have mercy upon you sir

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  12. Our Government do not give account for lost lives in Nigeria. A better placed economy has the statistics of birth and death rate and the nature of the death and also how to reduce the total death rate, but sorry we are in the wrong country, where our leaders are blood thirsty and like to make people Cry, they are Evil Genius. All they know of is how to share our Oil money, but i am sure God is Judging them, for they will pay for it and in a costly way.

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  13. Yany, you are not far from the fact but the truth is, there must to be a sacrifice; someone has to make a sacrifice to the gain of others.

    We are suffering in this country because we aren't ready to make a sacrifice.If we all Nigerians can make up our minds and do same as Olubiyi does, there must to be a change and it will no longer be issue of someone spending billions of Naira on refreshment which is somewhat embarrassing.

    Nigerians frustration is the salvation of our unresponsive government and the only way to prevent the next generations being inheriting this rubbish from us in this country is to fight for ourselves.

    Sanusi shouldn’t pretend as if is free from this issue, he should as a matter of urgency takes off his neckbangle called tie and do something reasonable before killing innocent Nigerians.

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  14. Nigeria is mistake

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  15. I AGREE WITH YOU, NIGERIA IS A MISTAKE

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  16. I quite appreciate your concern and honestly you should fight for your right. But it is so sad that even when we fought the other day on the petroleum subsidy, it suceeded until greed and selfishness broke the days of sacrifice that were made by millions of nigerians. My take on this is that we should not expect this governemnt to stand up for the citizens but for the citizens to create an avenue of finacial freedom.

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  17. My friend, the best option is for you ppl to team up and seek legal redress using apparatus like human right agencies. You can as well use Berekete Family as a medium to mount pressure on the appropriate authorities and fast track the process of getting your entitlement. It has worked for many who were denied their entitlement. It could work for you as well. I just hope he will read this write up. Berekete family can be reached via Love FM 104.5, Abuja every week day b/w 7.30- 8.30 AM.

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  18. please, nigerian are not care what happen to you, this is not best way to protest in nigeria.

    Time will tell ...................

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  19. Nigerians are carwords . They cant stand by this man and fight this injustice. There are changes in the arab zone cos of this kind of injustice . If you think your country will change be sitting down at home your are all finished . These will continue till many years to come until you all stand up and say enough is enough. It is you people dat will stop them the elite cos the are grooming the children to take over frm them. If you dont stop them the cycle will continue over over and over over and over over

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  20. Nigerians are carwords . They cant stand by this man and fight this injustice. There are changes in the arab zone cos of this kind of injustice . If you think your country will change be sitting down at home your are all finished . These will continue till many years to come until you all stand up and say enough is enough. It is you people dat will stop them the elite cos the are grooming the children to take over frm them. If you dont stop them the cycle will continue over over and over over and over over

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  21. God is the only source of compensation in life especially here in Naija . HE who has seen you through these 7 years is more than able to turn things around and make ALL your expectations come through. Pray and fast to God instead and he will surely answer your prayer. Please call off the hunger strike. God will judge....

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  22. You are on your own oooh!!!! Your wife no advise you well...it will take a miracle the MORON in aso rock to notice you.Better go home!!!!

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  23. my bros, person wey de alive na him go chop life ooooh. if you die in this process, your wife will marry another man or look for young boys to be servicing her and your children will be taken advantage of by some hoodrums.P-L-E-A-S-E for the interest of your family and loved ones return home and look for another stratege bcos hunger strike is not effective tool to drag home issue in Nigeria. ok?

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  24. My brother i feel for you. Things like this have become rampant and unattended in this country. If it was a severance pay for the politicians or their entertainment expenses, it would have been paid before their exit from the office. So it shows how selfish, self-centred are our fellow Nigerians who are in place of authority are. Including the then governor of the Central Bank - Soludo. Didn't he collect all his entitlement while in office and when he was leaving? Secondly, he said together with NdiOyukere the then DG of NSE that NOSPETCO and some other hedge funds or joint venture companies are wonder banks and they both conspired together to close down the companies in the disguise of savingthe countries economy. They substatiated their claims that it will lead to high rate of inflation in the country.But a politician that is collecting 500million per year with a severance pay of 200million naira for plundering the economy for just four years scaled through his or their microscopic economic scale. Central bank under the leadership of Soludo froze the accounts of these companies and promised to return deposits made by investors or joint partners of these companies to them,may be CBN will return the money before the end of this year. But an insider source the money has been used by them-the politicians to campaign for elections in which Soludo is one of them that used the said money for campaign during the time he was runing forthe governor of his state. Can you now see the type of leaders we have.
    In a nation where leaders and people in authority are human, before implementing any policy, the first set of people to be considered are the ones that will surfer the adverse effect of this policy while in our nation is to first behead a person having headache before treatment.

    The recapitalization exercise is good,but is it a measure that will checkmate the mismanagement of depositors fund in the banks? How many of those banks that met the conditions are now in the mainstream of banking operations now? Who knows what will happen tommorow? In a country that the president will openly declare and promise his followers - his fellow nigerians that he will do this and that in order to cajole them to belief in him.only to publicly and without remorse say that that time he did not do thorough analysis before making such declarations. Meanwhile burdens of their miscalculations and selfish interests are already placed on the shoulders of his dear fellow nigerians and the unborn fellow nigerians. The judiciary arm has become handicapped by grants, exgratia, bribe, undue promotions and favouritism they enjoyed from the 'executhieves' and the 'legislathieves' organs of government and hence they perverse or misjudge cases because bribes blindfold the eye of the receiver. Hence the judiciary cannot help the so called fellow nigerians anymore. Their eyes are closed to the plights of the common man. If this is not true, how can the EFCC filed a 215 count charge against Ibori in Nigeria and the courts in Nigeria could not find him guilty.because people like Mike Andoaka and cohorts are in the system. while in UK, few charges were pelted against him and his laywer and they both confessed guilty with their mouths. The judiciary in Nigeria has lost its salt and savour because they are always on the side of the highest bidder!

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