Pregnant Women

do banks take pregnant women for entry level?

S ome customers and staff of the Aromire, Ikeja branch of Sterling Bank Plc, were last Thursday, treated to an unsual spectacle in the banking hall of the bank, when a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon.

Korede Osunsanya, (Eti Osa) descended on a pregnant female employee of the bank and beat her to coma.

The female banker, Aishat Esan, who was five months pregnant at the time of the incident, had to be rushed to nearby Life Centre Hospital, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, where she was hospitalised for two days.

According to eyewitness accounts Osunsanya, had stormed the branch of the bank on that fateful day, with a dual mission – to clarify some issues concerning a facility he took from the bank shortly after his inauguration as a member of the House in June last year and give Aishat a “serious warning” over her alleged rudeness to his personal assistant.

On sighting Aishat, who had been his account officer since the facility was taken last June, the lawmaker approached her desk and started raining abuses on her, accusing her of being rude to his PA and threatening to deal with her. An eye witness said that efforts to placate Osinsanya, who is the chairman of the House committee on budget only infuriated him the more. He consequently rained more abuses on Aishat tried to explain that he was not rude to the said PA.

Osunsanya was said to have been angered by Aishat’s attempt to rationalise the reason for her repeated calls on him and told her to keep quiet or get a slap. Before the banker could decide on a choice, the lawmaker gave her gave her some dirty slaps before hitting her head against the wall. In a matter of minutes, the drama had played itself out.

While Aishat’s colleagues rushed to get her on her feet, the lawmaker stormed out of the banking premises, while other customers watched in amazement.

Piqued by perceived ungentlemanly act of the lawmaker, the bank’s corporate head office has forwarded a petition to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Ikuforiji Adeyemi for necessary action.

The petition which was was jointly signed by the Bank’s Head of Human Resources, Chinedum Orisakwe, and an executive director, Garba Imam, was dated January 18, 2008 and addressed to the speaker. A copy of the letter obtained by our correspondent on Friday showed that it was received at the Speaker’s office on January 18.

In the said letter, the Bank had detailed the incident that occurred in the banking hall on January 17, adding that Aishat had the mandate of her employer to seek an appointment with Osunsanya, a situation they described as “a normal cause of business.” The letter also added that Osunsanya ignored explanations made by Aishat’s superiors that she had not done anything unprofessional.

“But Honourable Osunsanya ignored all these and resorted to causing chaos in the branch and eventually heavily slapped the staff twice accross the face and hit her head on the door post.” The bank sought the intervention of the Speaker to call the erring member to order and also sought “an assurance that such violence will not reoccour”.

Aishat, who was very reluctant about discussing the matter, later spoke with our correspondent shortly after she was discharged from the hospital. She said that the January 17 incident was the climax of the harassment she had suffered from the lawmaker since she started drawing his attention to his failure to meet his obligations to the facility he took from the bank.

Narrating her ordeal to Saturday Punch, Aishat said Osunsanya had earlier on January 11 ordered her out of his office at the Assembly complex when she went there to discuss the facility.

Aishat said, “On January 11, I called his phone but was told by his PA that he was not around. But since I heard his voice at the background, I decided to go there with a colleague. Immediately he saw us, he started shouting at me and eventually ordered me out of his office.

“When he came to our office on Thursday (January 17), he accused me of being rude and started shouting and raining abuses on me. Even when my boss intervened and pleaded with him, he was still shouting. At a point, he said ‘How dare you look at my face when I am talking to you?’ He then slapped me and hit my head against the wall. I later found myself in the hospital”.

When Saturday Punch visited the Aromire branch of Sterling Bank on Thursday, the Acting Manager, Mr Rasheed Sanusi, who was also said to have witnessed the scene was not available. Another top official of the branch, who would not want his name in print, however, confirmed the development.

Asked why it was that easy for an outsider to assault the bank’s employee and get away with it, the official said, while bank officials were not permitted to exchange abusive words or raise their hands against a customer, adequate provision was always made to avert a situation in which they would be molested. “Unfortunately, the whole thing happened so fast and the man had gone before people around the hall could come to terms with what had actually happened.

The official also confirmed that the case was reported at the MAN Centre police station on Wema Board Estate, and that the head office of the bank had forwarded a petition to the Speaker of the Lagos House. The official also confirmed that Aishat resumed skeletal work on Thursday.

Osunsanya, however, denied slapping Aishat or any bank official. He told our correspondent at his office in the Assembly Complex on Thursday evening that he neither knew anybody called Aishat nor have any transaction with Sterling Bank. He described himself as an urbane person representing very enlightened people of Ikoyi and Victorial Island, who should know better than beating up a lady.

Osunsanya said, “My brother, I swear, I don’t know this lady and I don’t have any account or dealing whatsoever with Sterling Bank. I represent Eti Osa 2 constituency and that means I am the representative of the enlightened people of Ikoyi and V.I. So why should I beat a lady? I beleieve the whole thing could be a make-up by political opponents”.

When reminded that the case was reported to the Police who had in turn invited him for questioning, he retorted: “Which police station? Ask the police to give you the document I signed when I went to their office. I said I know nothing about the whole thing. You can ask anybody here, I am the most gentle lawmaker here.” The Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at the MAN Centre Police station, declined comment on the matter when our correspondent met him. But he confirmed that the case was reported at the station.

When prodded further, he said that the accused (the lawmaker) was yet to honour the invitation the police extended to him since last week. He also said he was yet to see the complainant after the report was lodged. He directed our reporter to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state for further details.

Confirming the case, the Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr Frank Mba told our correspondent on Friday that the case was receiving the attention of the police. He stated that Osunsanya ignored the invitation sent to him by the police, adding that the police’s next line of action would be determined by the complainant.

He said, “The lawmaker ignored our invitation. As I am talking to you now (Friday), he is yet to report as demanded. So, everything depends on her (Aishat). If she wants to press the case further, we know how to get him to court.”


and if they employ you they wont protect you ^^

lawmaker beats pregnant banker to coma!!

yup very!! shameful country where shameful acts go unpunished