Ex-manager sues Guinness for N100m over wrongful dismissal

By Dayo Johnson

AKURE—A erstwhile Territory Manager with Guinness Nigeria Plc., Mr. Ntima Anya, has dragged the institution earlier the National Industrial Court, sitting successful Akure, Ondo State, seeking N100 cardinal successful damages implicit alleged wrongful, unlawful termination of his appointment.

The defendants successful the suit are: Guinness Nigeria Plc, and Moshood Adejoro, a erstwhile Line Manager with the firm.

The substance saw the claimant unfastened his lawsuit done his counsel, Samuel Chukwudi Nmesi, who tendered 36 documentary exhibits successful grounds earlier Justice K.D. Damulak.

The tribunal admitted each documents and adjourned further proceeding to November 27, 2025, for cross-examination by the defence counsel, Ade Abioye.

Anya, who served arsenic Territory Manager for Ilorin/Offa, had alleged that his dismissal connected October 30, 2020, violated owed process and was a merchandise of bias, witch-hunt and gross unprofessional behaviour by his contiguous supervisor and different apical officials of Guinness Nigeria.

He told the tribunal that contempt submitting a aesculapian study from Olanrewaju Hospital, Ilorin, which confirmed that his humor unit had dangerously increased, the institution denied him yearly oregon sick leave.

Instead, helium was allegedly forced to enactment during the COVID-19 lockdown and compelled to merchantability astir expired Dubic Malt products – actions helium said endangered some his wellness and nonrecreational integrity.

According to the claimant, his dismissal process breached each known labour regulation, alleging that his institution assets were seized successful public, that the termination missive was signed nether duress astatine a distributor’s outlet successful Ilorin, and that nary exit clearance oregon predisposition was conducted contempt his astir 10 years of work to the company.

Anya further accused the steadfast of denying him entree to due aesculapian care, forcing him retired of infirmary connected the precise time his assignment was terminated, and trivialising his hypertensive information arsenic “ordinary sickness.”

He maintained that his wellness deteriorated rapidly aft the incident, starring to terrible imaginativeness problems that present necessitate corrective lenses.

The counsel urged the tribunal to clasp that the purported Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) cited by the institution arsenic the ground for his dismissal was fraudulent and ne'er formally initiated.

He noted that interior emails presented successful tribunal showed inconsistencies successful the PIP timelines, suggesting deliberate intent to mislead the court.

The claimant besides tendered respective exhibits, including aggregate aesculapian reports, ECG scans, and referral letters to cardiologists, arsenic good arsenic commendation letters, wage reappraisal documents, and firm awards for excellence helium received successful 2019 and 2020.

He argued that specified records proved his beardown show earlier his dismissal.

Among the documents admitted were a decease certificate of his parent – whom helium said died owed to his inability to concern her medicine pursuing his sack – and a Certified True Copy of a erstwhile tribunal judgement successful a akin lawsuit wherever different erstwhile employee, Bright Nwosu, won against Guinness Nigeria astatine the National Industrial Court successful Port Harcourt successful 2023.

Anya’s counsel told the tribunal that Guinness’s actions went beyond wrongful dismissal, describing them arsenic “an attempted homicide” fixed the wellness risks and intelligence trauma inflicted connected his client.
He emphasised that the lawsuit was not lone astir justness for 1 antheral but besides astir ending a signifier of maltreatment of powerfulness wrong the organisation.

Medical reports presented to the tribunal indicated that the claimant present requires urgent and intensive aesculapian care, perchance abroad, to negociate the complications arising from uncontrolled hypertension.
The court, however, adjourned the substance to November 27, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination.

The station Ex-manager sues Guinness for N100m implicit wrongful dismissal appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.