It is no longer news that the atmosphere of Nigeria economy is not friendly and favourable to Nigerian masses, especially the public/civil servants who serve as an integral constituent and important stakeholders of this nation as an entity. This is no doubt, one of the reasons many of them are travelling out of the shores of this country to hustle for greener pastures.
In their desperate bid to either achieve this brain drain (Japa) or other emergency family obligations, many of them would resolve to source for loans either from private credit thrifts & cooperative societies where friends or relatives could stand for them as guarantors or from savings, loans and investment Schemes of their respective labour Unions. This experience is the same with public/civil servants in Ogun State MDAs, who are members of the Savings and Loans Scheme of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU); a labour Union affiliated to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
However, this economic hardship being encountered by so many members of this Union has culminated and prompted some subscribers of this Union’s Savings and Loans Scheme, mostly women, who could not access it due to its high interest rates, and those who are not qualified for these loans, due to their financial incapability to repay from their net salaries, to be exposed to despicable offer to have sex with the State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Ismail Oladipupo Sanyaolu, known by many as Asunmo, who is the principal signatory to all the accounts of the Union and the Savings and Loans Scheme, with other male Committee members, who are managing the Scheme for him in proxy; an unconventional practice which is not known to any well structured and licensed financial institution or cooperative societies.
While speaking with one of the female members, Mrs Adebimpe Kareem (not real name) explained that the Chairman (Asunmo) has been on her neck for over three years now, “he would continue to disturb me despite the fact that he knows my husband – they both worked in the same Agency when he was still a Clerical Officer. He would always promise to offer me loans if I agree to go to bed with him. Infact, I almost fell to his trap last month when I was seriously in need of loan to pay for my children school fees last month September during school resumption, when I called him for a financial assistance”.
Another female member who doesn’t want her name in print, narrated her experience on how she was sexually harassed in her office on a particular day she went to update her passbook at the Union Secretariat, opposite MKO Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta. She lamented that even though she was in the know that the Chairman (Asunmo) is a notorious womanizer who has dated some of her female colleagues, especially many who are his close members of the Union, she couldn’t have imagined that he was that irresponsible and lacks self control.
A male member who is very close to one of the Aides of the Chairman explained that, the NCSU Chairman, Comrade Ismail Oladipupo Sanyaolu is like a small god in his own capacity, owing to the fact that he lavishes money from the coffers of the labour Union without any question from any quarters. He stressed further that, he has taken sexual advantages of many female members especially those whom he compensated with positions in various units and organs of the Union.
“This is the man that always advise us to make sure that we should at least have one or two concubines in each MDAs in the Ogun State Public/Civil Service to enable us win elections when the time comes because this is what helped him during his 2018 and 2022 elections and will still work for him by the time he will be campaigning for his anointed candidates in the coming elections” was another revelation we confirmed from a very close ally who confided in our Reporter but doesn’t want his name in print.
While this act has been a ‘norm’ in the Union from the inception of the administration of Asunmo and co, confirming that people who are genuinely qualified for loans are deprived by giving flimsy excuses and the ones who know how to warm the beds of the leadership of the Union and the Saving and Loans Scheme Committee, can laugh their ways seamlessly to the bank and cash money anytime, anyday.
We hope that, with the recent approval of #77,000 minimum wage for Ogun State workers by Governor Dapo Abiodun, vulnerable workers who are unavoidably prone to this despicable and immoral experience from the leadership of the Union will have a sigh of relieve, when the new payment commenced.
