Date: 2019-02-15

No fewer than 200 workers of Kwara State-owned hotel, Kwara Hotels, Ilorin said to have been sacked illegally, have appealed to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, to come to their aid over outstanding salaries, cooperatives deductions among others to lessen their sufferings and that of their families.

President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed The affected workers were sacked on May 25, 2017 by police officers, who prevented them from entering the hotel premises to work, and without sack letters till date.

The branch chairman of National Union of Hotel and Personal Services, Kwara Hotel Chapter, Ochennika Mohammed, at a briefing in Ilorin, recalled that, four detachments of armed mobile policemen were invited to Kwara Hotel to prevent them from entering the hotel to resume duties as usual.

Lamenting that some of the affected workers had since died, he said: "Till date, we were not served any sack letter. Our only offence is that we asked Harmony Holdings (government's company operating the hotel) to improve the deteriorating standard of the hotel, and pay our salaries, and emoluments.

"In fact, we met severally with Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment, Mr Yomi Ogunsola,who agreed with us on our agitations, unfortunately instead of implementing our agreements, the next thing they did was to bring fully armed police officers to the gate of Kwara Hotels on May 25, 2017 to send us away from work.

"Till date, no letter of retrenchment was given us and our outstanding salaries, cooperative deductions and other emoluments have not been paid".