Hamzat Oladipupo Yusuf has accused the BUA Group, a food manufacturing company owned by Abdul Samad Rabiu, a Nigerian billionaire, of withholding his terminal benefits for over a year after retirement.

Yusuf worked at the BUA Suger Refinery in Apapa, Lagos, for about 12 years before he left. As a result, he is entitled to a certain amount of money in terminal benefits, but has not received it.

“Please I need you to help me call on my former employer, BUA Group/BUA Sugar Refinery, to pay my terminal benefits withheld since November 2020,” Yusuf told FIJ on Monday.

“My benefits have not been paid to me and I have not been called. I worked there for about 12 years.”

“I was employed as a project engineer. The standard there is not really good. After some time, I became head of their civil department. Later, they said there was no civil department. I was made to go to a unit under utility. Later, they said there was no unit, so I was going to be an ordinary civil engineer. My last role there was that of a civil infrastructure engineer,” Yusuf said.

“The head of group HR, in person of Mr. Dotun Adako, had made an initial promise to me that I would be paid in early 2021. Till today, BUA has not fulfilled its promises. Now, my calls and mails are ignored by the HR and the executive chairman himself. Since they know my number, they don’t answer my calls.”

Tolulope Ayo-Oguntoyinbo, a worker at BUA Human Resource Department, refused to comment on Yusuf’s plight. Yusuf was in contact with her as he expected his payment in early 2021, and she promised payment on behalf of BUA. Then she repeated an old excuse of having to wait for the headquarters.

“I know what this is about. I am not going to be able to answer any of your questions,” Ayo-Oguntoyinbo told this reporter on Tuesday. “You will have to contact the group head of HR.”

Adako did not answer calls from FIJ on Monday. He was also yet to respond to a text sent to him at press time.