Bitter tales from Savannah Sugar

Unfortunately, the day later turned out to be his last on the job, as he was asked to read, by one of his co-worker, Malam Umaru Bura, “an important notice” pasted on the gate, indicating that the factory was to close indefinitely. As he read the closure notice, tears ran down his cheeks. This was […]

Unfortunately, the day later turned out to be his last on the job, as he was asked to read, by one of his co-worker, Malam Umaru Bura, “an important notice” pasted on the gate, indicating that the factory was to close indefinitely.

As he read the closure notice, tears ran down his cheeks. This was not only because he was losing a job, but also because his wife was expected to be deliver of a baby at any moment from that date.

That was the beginning of the sad –life experience, not only for Solomon, but for hundreds of workers who have now been thrown into the ‘expansive’ labour market.

The hardship suffered by the sacked workers and their families has taken a deadly toll. Already, hundreds of the sacked workers are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders, while many others show signs of severe depression, requiring psychological counselling.

Only last Wednesday, a yet to be identified non-regular staff of Savannah Sugar Company died of heart attack in his room. His wife, dismayed by a her husband’s dismissal from work and the consequent difficulties had to relocate. The staff had battled depression made worse by his wife’s abscondment and was struggling to support his two children.

A security threat has forced Savannah Sugar Company, a subsidiary of Dangote Group of Companies, to close down indefinitely with over 5,000 workers losing their jobs.

The company, which is located in Lamurde, southern part of the state, has been having a running battle with its host communities over compensation and employment.

During a visit to the factory along Gombe-Yola Road, only a few management staff and armed security men could be seen patrolling, to avoid intruders.

Speaking to Sunday Trust amidst tight security, the General Manager, Admininistration and Human Resources, of the company, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali Garga, said the company was facing security threats from its casual workers.

He added that the casual workers had insisted that their appointment be converted to permanent employment, explaining that the  management had  reviewed the frequent violent stoppage of its operations and recent threats and took the decision. According to him, the invaders violently chased away all staff with cutlasses and other weapons, causing heavy loss of materials in the process. The company’s buildings were damaged, equipments  were stolen during the looting of company properties. The company’s staff clinic endangering patient’s life. The staff school was closed, which traumatized pupils as they always have to run and hide in cane plantations.

Ali Garga said the management of the company was willing to pay all terminal benefits as soon as computation is completed, as contained in the collective agreement with NUFBTE and FOBTOB.

The hostility against Dangote

Dangote Group of Companies took over ownership of the Savannah Sugar Company in 2000, through the privatisation programme of the Obasanjo administration. The company, located in a vast acre of land in the Bachama Kingdom, with its cane fields spread on an expansive land that span four  local government areas of Guyuk, Shelleng, Lamurde and Numan. It has been at loggerheads with the host communities, particularly, the Bachamas.

At the centre of the current conflict between the company and its host community is the issue of compensation arising from the takeover of the farmlands belonging to the local farmers. While the host community’s hope of compensation is still hanging, the management of Savannah Sugar Company is pointing to the government as being statutorily responsible for the payment of compensations demanded by the host community.

If the scepter falls from the hands of the King, what will his subjects do?  That was the situation at Gyawana, the host community, when some youths under the banner of “Gyawana Indigine Frontiers,” toyed to the path of the Bachama paramount ruler, Homun Asaph Zadok, to declare threats on the company by giving an ultimatum that, “from now onward, it should be noted by November this year, Savannah Sugar Company shall not commence production until the land compensation issue is resolved.”

In a statement signed by one Seth Murey, the group also threatened that, “40% of every employment must be given to us as our privileged right. We are also demanding that the company should sponsor 100 persons across our various communities at the university level.”

The statement further challenged and urged every youth in the area to stay calm and wait for the day the trumpet will sound.

The paramount ruler was the first to react. On Saturday, February 12, 2011, at Voti Lamurde town, during the investiture of the district Head of Gyawana, Nzohome Clement Minakaro, the Hama Bachama, Asaph Zadok, in his address disclosed to his subjects that:

“It is an appointment coming at a difficult time, when Savannah Sugar Company’s quest for expansion continues to gulp more and more of our uncompensated lands, opening new frontiers of conflict. When state and corporate interest comes into direct conflict with the interest of our people and their communal existence and well being. The assumption that pacifism and meaningless peace preachment will continue to be template by which the royalty of the traditional institution is gauged by government even in the face of glaring injustices to our subjects, is fast fading from being our ultimate mantra.”

“The manner in which government has continued to treat the issue of lands leaves little doubt that there’s a policy to keep the Bachama Kingdom’s economic and human dignity index in perpetual deficit. We cannot afford the neutrality of the hermit when our clothes are on fire. As your king, I wish to place on record that I have exhausted all avenues to secure your compensation but failed. The Bachama Traditional Council hereby withdraws any guarantee of safety of investment done by Savannah from the next rainy season, if the compensation matter is not resolved,” the Bachama monarch, said.

A former council boss in the area, Solomon Obadiah, had once attributed the misgivings by the host community to these issues. “The community expects a lot from them (Dangote) in the area of education; to assist where the classroom facilities are not very good. Some of the things they do in their irrigation are hazardous and one will expect them to address such issues. There are expectations about any company especially in terms of what we call corporate social responsibility. The expectations of this company providing these things to some extent have not been met,” Mr Obadiah said.

However, the General Manager (Administration) of Savanah Sugar Company, says failure to meet its obligations to the community was economical. According to him, “since Dangote Group took over, it has not been profitable. Seven of those years have been deployed by the company in developing its cane fields.” He said, further that so far, the company has only been able to produce 18,000 metric tonnes of sugar, an output that is less than 50 percent of its 50,000 metric tonnes per annum installed capacity.

Sunday Trust learnt from the community that the major area of conflict between the company and the host community is on the employment issue, specifically, the “casualisation” policy.

Protest by workers, demanding their temporary employment status be regularized has often led to severe losses for the company and the company had cause to believe that the burning of its cane field earlier in the year was apparently a case of sabotage.

Sunday Trust gathered that since Dangote took over Savannah Sugar company there were eighteen strikes action  by non-regular workers, wreaking havoc on production and other human resources worth over N874 million due to the strikes.

The Workers Plea

Speaking to newsmen in Yola over the closure, Mr Heman Nzome, the senior staff chairman of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Association in the company, said that the development was unfortunate.

He called for urgent dialogue between the company, government and the host communities to resolve the problems.

Nzome added that the closure of the company was a source of serious concern as more than 5,000 staf members would be rendered jobless.

“It is something of great concern to this nation as Savannah Sugar is one of the biggest companies in the North, taking care of more than 5,000 staff and their families,” Nzome said.

Savannah operates on a seasonal basis, with much of its labour requirement coinciding with the planting and harvesting periods where over  5,000 workers are required to be engaged on a temporary basis for a period of six months before being disengaged.

The company has ruled out granting full employment to these category of workers, citing its unsustainability because of the huge financial cost.