National Industrial Court sitting
in Lagos, has ordered a former Chief
Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria
Communications Limited, Mr Adrian Wood
to appear before it to
testified in a suit by
MTN’s former Network Group Operation
Manager, Mr Paul Odunewu, an engineer.
The court also issued a subpoena in
respect of Mr Sifiso Dabengwa, an
expatriate staff of MTN based in South
Africa.
Odunewu is demanding N1.8 billion for
alleged wrongful termination of his
contract by MTN.
MTN Group Limited, South Africa; MTN
Nigeria and MTN International, Mauritius
are the other defendants.
He accused the company of withholding
his entitlements, including a share option
worth over $13.14 million (about N2.1bn).
A former Chief Technical Officer of MTN
Nigeria, Mr Ademola Eleso, while testifying
at the trial, accused MTN of deceiving its
workers.
He said MTN lured Odunewu, a renown
telecoms engineer based abroad, to work
for it in Nigeria, promising to make him a
shareholder, only to end up withdrawing
the offer.
Eleso said he hired Odunewu on MTN’s
behalf. He told MTN’s Human Resources,
HR, Department that for Odunewu to be
happy to join the company and stay, he
should be entitled to long-term incentive
package. The witness said he also told
Odunewu that his position would be key.
According to him, in the early days of
MTN’s operations, there was a “strategic
imperative” to employ high cadre
candidates who would help the company
grow in all facets.
“I was asked to help source for such
people and make sure they came to MTN
Nigeria and not Econet because of
competition.”
“In recognition of that it was understood
that certain employees would necessarily
have extra-ordinary remuneration package
and stock option in order to make MTN an
attractive proposition for the candidates of
which CW1 (Odunewu) was one and that
was my discussion with HR,” he said.
Eleso said Odunewu later complained to
him that the share option was not
specified in his appointment letter, adding
that there were other staff whose letters
did not contain it.
“The HR verbally communicated to the
staff that when the company is well
established, they would be eligible to the
stock option,” he said.
Eleso insisted that Odunewu was entitled
to the share option even though it was not
all employees who were entitled to the
scheme.
“MTN did not honour its part and MTN has
been deceitful,” he said, adding that he
encouraged Odunewu to join the company
in the hope that MTN would honour its
promise.
To show that some staffers were deceived,
Eleso said some of the workers who were
promised the incentive along with
Odunewu, were eventually given, while
others were omitted.
He said other people who did not originally
have the stock option later had theirs
processed, but Odunewu was inexplicable
ignored.
