Samson Dauda, a Taraba-based former employee of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), has opened up about the bank’s failure to process the compensation he was eligible for during his employment period.

Dauda told FIJ he worked at the northeast region of GTBank from December 1, 2008, to October 18, 2017, when he had to resign due to a health issue.

He said he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a contagious disease, in 2012 and had to undergo treatment afterwards. As seen in one of the documents obtained by FIJ, Dauda was exposed to the disease at the point of his interactions with customers and through cash handling, processing and movement.

FIJ also gathered that he suffered significant damage to his left lung at the time, which resulted in disfigurement, and he had to adjust his lifestyle accordingly.

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Dauda resigned in 2017 due to his health. In 2018, after he had resigned, he informed GTBank to initiate an occupational disease benefit on his behalf through the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The NSITF is a government agency saddled with the welfare of employees in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.

According to Dauda, the bank was mandated by the Employee Compensation Act (ECA) 2010 to have reported his illness to the NSITF while he was still working there.

But FIJ learned that the bank failed to do so at the point of his diagnosis in 2012 despite the fact that Dauda informed them of the illness before his resignation.

“The bank took no action when I was ill. I was literally away from active duty for above three months, including my annual leave. When I resumed, I submitted a health report to have my system access restored, and this was when the human resource (HR) realised I had been ill,” he told FIJ.

“I was also unaware of this stipulation at the time, which was why I didn’t immediately push for it. The compensation is determined by a formula contained in the ECA, and it comprises a lump sum and monthly payments till retirement or 55 years of age.”

Checks through the Employee Compensation Act showed that occupational disease means “a disease contracted arising out of or in the course of exposure to risk factors at work”.

Dauda further revealed that when he wrote the first letter in 2018, GTBank declined his request and insisted that he had lost the right to such an occupational disease benefit because he was an ex-employee.

“I reached out to the NSITF in person, and they sent the required forms but pointed out that my previous employers had to apply on my behalf.

“The bank refused, and I had to engage a lawyer to write them a letter of demand in 2019 before they began processing this claim. The NSITF received a copy of the letter,” said Dauda.

He said GTBank did not submit the required forms until December 2020. After the submission, the NSITF told Dauda to expect correspondence through the bank as the agency itself would not contact him directly.

“NSITF sent a response to GTBank in March 2021, but the bank has not contacted me, bearing in mind that I only have a 6-month window to contest the outcome if I deem it unsatisfactory.”

He lamented GTBank’s lack of duty of care as well as NSITF’s failure to sanction the bank as the regulator mandated to enforce the compensation act.

Dauda is of the opinion that GTBank, his former employer, may have cost him his right to appeal the would-be outcome of the instituted claim.

“Presently, my condition precludes me from seeking certain types of employment, and I need specialised care to keep myself free from infections that can fatally aggravate my already compromised condition,” the former GTBank staff member explained.

NO RESPONSE FROM GTBANK AND NSITF

Dauda said he sent a follow-up email to the bank as well as the NSITF on May 17, 2023, to inquire about the way out of the situation. FIJ understands that he has not received a response to date.

On May 31, FIJ sent separate emails to GTBank and the NSITF, but both had not responded to the issue at the time of publication.

FIJ called the numbers obtained on the NSITF’s website on Thursday, but none of them was available. A follow-up text was equally sent on Wednesday to Cornelius Onuoha, GTBank’s spokesperson, but he did not respond.