A human rights group, Citizens Rights Watch (CRW) has condemned the dehumanization of young Nigerian workers by foreigners doing business in the country and called on relevant government agencies to close down the companies until they change and upgrade their machines.
The president of the group, Comrade Gabriel Ojumah, made this condemnation while addressing journalists in Lagos.
”The inhuman treatment of our citizens by foreign employers doing business in Nigeria has become too much that we can no longer continue to pretend and watch our youths lick their wounds as a result of the obsolete and inadequate machinery used by the foreign companies,†the CRW president stated.
Comrade Ojumah stated that the life threatening machinery used by some of these foreign companies had turned young and able bodied Nigerians to disabled persons, deforming and dehumanizing them.
According to Ojumah, some workers have had their limbs, such as their fingers and whole palm cut-off by faulty machines, adding: “Others suffered various degree of burns from explosions which occurred while working with the blowing machines in these factories.”
Most of the victims paraded by the group were workers and ex-workers of Cellplast Nigeria Limited, located at Fatai Atere Way, Ajao Estate, Lagos while a few others were from Leoplast, Hongxing and others.
Narrating his experience, one of the victims who got two of his fingers severed while working with Cellplast, Nnamdi Ezekiel, said his two fingers were cut off by the obsolete manual plastic machine being used by the company.
“A lot of Nigerians have been victims,†he added.
“Since January, 2010, that the incident happened, the company has not compensated us. They told me and others that their insurance company was working towards paying us,†Ezekiel stated.
Another victim, Damilola Olayiwola, who also had his fingers cut off, called on government to intervene and stop foreigners from maltreating Nigerians working in their companies.
—Rasheed Abubakar
