Mr Matthew Oluwaniyi is the Chairman of the National Association of Academic Technologists, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, branch. The late Olabode Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist, who was killed by a lion at the OAU Zoological Garden was a memeber of the association. In this interview with BOLA BAMIGBOLA, Oluwaniyi speaks on the work hazards of the union members
What was your relationship with the late zookeeper, Olabode Olawuyi like?
The unique relationship we shared was that he was the one who handed over to me as the National Association of Academic Technologists Public Relations Officer of the OAU branch.
He was the NAAT PRO of the OAU from year 2014 to 2018 and I took over from him as the NAAT PRO before I finally took over as chairman.
What kind of a person was he?
He was a heartfelt person. Despite that, he handed the post o to me, and he was able to recognise the areas where I had a better view.
Irrespective of that, he would still come to me to learn. He did not look at the fact that he handed over to me and felt that he knew everything.
What was his attitude to work like?
One very distinct thing that everybody saw about him, but I saw it more was that he was a very dedicated professional. He did not do his work based on the payment, but he worked based on his passion for the work. At the end of the day, the work he did was not even commensurate with the amount he was earning. If you are aware, my union supported by other unions had a solidarity march on Tuesday (the day after his death).
What brought about the solidarity march was because of the initial press statement that was released by the university, which almost trivialised his death.
I was there at the point where his body would be retrieved from the lion’s enclave. Immediately it happened, one of our members called me and I left the meeting I was attending, and went straight to the scene where I saw his lifeless body on the ground.
I witnessed almost first hand, what happened and immediately we got information from the people and the staff that were there together. They said he was not attacked while feeding the lion. He was attacked while rescuing the person who was feeding the lion.
You said the deceased died a hero. Can you talk more about that?
Yes. He died a hero. As a natural human being, when we see such kind of a thing, the next thing for us is to run away from that place and start calling for help. But Mr Olawuyi did not run away and leave the worker that was trapped in the lion’s den.
He immediately approached the worker and ensured he rescued her. So, it was such a heroic act that he did not even consider the fact that the lion might turn around to attack him, but he was more after preserving the life of the other person.
It is akin to what Jesus did. Mr Olawuyi died for a junior worker under him who was initially attacked. He took over to rescue the woman.
As a matter of fact, immediately after the incident and we confirmed that he was dead and nothing could be done again, we rushed to the health centre to check the woman that was attacked and she didn’t even know that her boss was dead.
It was at that point that someone walked in and broke the news to her and she was shocked because she knew that it was Mr Olawuyi who rescued her from the grip of the lion.
What were you told made the lion attack the woman?
The reality is that lions are wild animals with a wild history and when they have the opportunity to demonstrate that wild history, there is nothing we can do to stop them.
Could it be the animals were not well-fed?
Mr Olawuyi was very close to me. I know most of the things that happened in upgrading the zoo. The truth, before now the zoo was in a very bad state, but through his contacts, connections, and working with the university, they got into a partnership that improved especially the feeding system of the lions.
Personally, I don’t think it was about the poor feeding of the lion, it is just the natural instinct of wild animals to attack. The lion in question has never attacked anyone before this last incident. They do feed them dead animals and not living animals. It is just the natural wildlife instincts in them and not just about the feeding. They did a good job especially Mr Olawuyi in feeding the animals.
What are the plans to recognise the heroic deeds of the deceased?
We are still planning to reach out to you because we may be calling for a press conference by early next week. We are having an ongoing deliberation with management and in all fairness, I will say that they are ready to do the things that are supposed to be done.
However, as a union, we remain a pressure group to ensure that they do what is supposed to be done. Now, part of what we raised is that what we want the university to do is that there is a need to immortalize him. From one-on-one discussions and meetings that we have been having with the institution’s management, they are also thinking along that line. I see that both the union and the university management are on the same page of immortalizing Mr Olawuyi because he died a hero.
How can such an occurrence be prevented in the future?
I want to say at this point that there are investigations that are ongoing on the side of the management of the school. There is also an investigation going on the side of the union. Once the investigation is concluded, it will help us to have a holistic view and approach of what to do to prevent similar occurrences.
As a union, we are taking this as a very big lesson, and experience. We are not only looking at the people working in the zoo, but all of our members working in high-risk areas. Today it was Olawuyi’s turn, who knows whose turn it will be tomorrow? There was a time ago that chemical killed one of our members. Our members actually work in high-risk areas and that is one of the reasons why we have been demanding for hazard allowance to be paid adequately.
And how much is this hazard allowance? Just N30,000 per month. Even before that was approved, it was a thug of war. Some persons, they don’t still get their allowance as we speak.
Unfortunately because of the salary scale the school was moved to, they did not re-evaluate Olawuyi’s own hazard allowance. His own hazard allowance was N5,000 per month then. They were supposed to re-evaluate it to meet up with the N30,000 as agreed by the union but that process was on probably till his death.
You said the union negotiated N30,000 hazard allowance. But you gave a different figure as the amount the deceased was collecting as Hazard Allowance. What exactly was he paid as hazard allowance?
By error, he was being paid, N5, 000.
Can you further explain that?
How that error came about was because of the different salary scales. He moved from a salary scale to another one and they were supposed to upgrade his hazard allowance. There are two salary scales. His own cadre in NAAT belongs to the medical, and veterinary sectors. So, he was moving there and there were some allowances that he should get that were related to the salary structure. But when he moved to the medical salary structure, his hazard allowance was affected. I know they were working to correct that, but I don’t know if it had seen the light of the day.
