A senior Nigerian-Norwegian executive has filed a landmark lawsuit against Halliburton Energy Services Inc. at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, alleging racial discrimi-nation, unfair labour practices, and wrongful termination disguised as redundancy.
Mr Olukayode Togun, Halliburton's former Group Business Development Manager for Nigeria, and the company's second-highest-ranking executive locally, claims he was pressured to leave during a "global restructuring" despite leading one of the firm's most profitable divisions.
Court filings allege that, although Mr Togun is a full Norwegian citizen, he was denied expatriate privileges routinely given to other foreign staff solely because of his Nigerian nationality. Benefits such as housing, schooling, hardship allowances, and repatriation flights were withheld, and his salary was significantly lower than peers. The suit further claims that other expatriates, many less productive and more costly, were retained, while Mr Togun was offered lower roles and pressured to accept a non-negotiable separation agreement. Lawyers describe this as, a deliberate constructive dismissal.
Mr Togun is seeking declarations that his termination was unlawful and discriminatory, payment of severance and outstanding benefits, reimbursement of relocation costs, and general damages totalling $250 million.
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The case, which is yet to be assigned a hearing date, is being closely watched by employment law experts and industry observers, for its potential to set a major precedent for corporate accountability in Nigeria's oil and gas sector.
Senate Passes Bill Imposing Stiffer Penalties for Wildlife Trafficking
The Nigerian Senate has passed the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill 2025, introducing stiffer penalties for wildlife trafficking and other environmental crimes, in a major step toward aligning the country's laws with international conservation standards.
Under the new Bill, offenders face fines of up to N12 million and prison sentences of up to 10 years, depending on the gravity of the offence. The law also empowers customs officers and other enforcement agencies to investigate financial flows linked to wildlife crimes, seize assets, and detain aircraft or vessels used in trafficking endangered species.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, while presiding over the session, described the passage of the Bill as "a decisive move to protect Nigeria's biodiversity, and demonstrate that environmental crime is economic crime". He urged the executive arm, to ensure speedy assent and strict enforcement.
The legislation strengthens the powers of the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nigeria Customs Service, and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), to monitor, investigate, and prosecute wildlife-related offences. It also prohibits habitat destruction, pollution of protected ecosystems, and consumption of endangered species.
Sponsors of the Bill noted that Nigeria has become a key transit and source country in the illegal wildlife trade network, with pangolin scales, elephant ivory, and other animal parts trafficked through its ports to Asia. The Bill, they said, seeks to close legal loopholes that allowed traffickers to escape with minimal fines under outdated statutes.
Environmental activists have commended the National Assembly's action, describing it as a critical step towards meeting Nigeria's obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). "This is the kind of bold legal reform we have been advocating for years", said Dr Amina Egbemudia, a conservation Lawyer and Director of the Green Justice Network. "But success will depend on how swiftly enforcement agencies implement it."
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Experts say the new law could transform how courts handle wildlife crimes by introducing asset forfeiture, enhanced investigative powers, and clearer definitions of endangered species offences. However, they also warn that without proper funding and judicial training, enforcement could remain weak.
The Bill will now be transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for assent. If signed into law, it will replace the 1985 Endangered Species Act, and provide Nigeria's first comprehensive legal framework for tackling wildlife trafficking through the combined efforts of prosecutors, customs officers, and the Judiciary.
