PASSEC Petitions Labour Minister, Alleges Forgery, Fraud Against ASSBIFI President

The Pan-African Society for Social and Economic Change (PASSEC) has petitioned the Minister of Labour and Employment, urging urgent intervention over allegations of forgery, fraud, and misappropriation of funds against the leadership of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI).

In a strongly worded letter to the Minister, PASSEC accused the current ASSBIFI President, Mr. Olusoji Oluwole, of emerging through a manipulated election in 2022, which allegedly denied Comrade Amina Danesi her mandate after she was duly elected in what the organisation described as a free and fair process.

The petition further alleged that Mr. Oluwole’s employment with Sterling Bank was terminated in 2020, which should have rendered him ineligible to contest under the Trade Union Act. PASSEC claimed that forged documents—including payslips, pension records, and tax information—were produced with the connivance of certain staff of Sterling Bank’s Human Resources Department to facilitate his candidacy.

The organisation said it believes the bank’s Managing Director may be unaware of the alleged fraud, but warned that the scandal could have damaging implications for the institution’s credibility.

Beyond the disputed election, PASSEC alleged that over N300 million has been misappropriated under Oluwole’s leadership since November 2022. It also accused some officials in the Ministry of Labour of deliberately ignoring earlier petitions from aggrieved ASSBIFI members, thereby undermining the Ministry’s oversight responsibility.

To address the crisis, PASSEC called on the Minister to:

• Order an independent investigation into Oluwole’s employment status in collaboration with Sterling Bank.
• Direct Sterling Bank to release his original payslip, pension, and tax records from 2020 to date.
• Instruct the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to suspend recognition of the Oluwole-led ASSBIFI pending investigations.
• Refer the case to the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, and CBN for further investigation and possible prosecution.
• Restore the lawful leadership of ASSBIFI by recognising Comrade Amina Danesi as President, based on the November 12, 2022 election outcome.

PASSEC’s Executive Director, Comrade Basah Mohammed, emphasised that urgent ministerial action was necessary to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s labour movement.

“We stand ready to cooperate with your Ministry and relevant agencies to ensure that justice is served and the sanctity of public and labour institutions is upheld,” he said.

The petition has placed the Ministry of Labour under public scrutiny, as stakeholders await its response to what PASSEC describes as a test case for accountability in Nigeria’s trade union system.