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E-Financial

Hidden Shame of Contract Workers in Nigerian Banks- Al Jazeera

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A report by Al Jazeera has documented the hidden shame of Nigerian banking system where contract staffers in financial institutions live poverty line.

Hidden Shame of Contract Workers in Nigerian Banks- Al Jazeera

Poverty wages are typical for thousands of contract workers in the banking industry and they can work for years without a raise, promotion, benefits or job security.

According to Al Jazeera, contract staffing has been a feature of Nigeria’s labour market for decades, but it is especially rife in the banking and oil sectors

The report said that for Basit, climbing the corporate ranks of commercial banking in Nigeria has been an exercise in frustration.

The 28-year-old, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, has worked as a teller with Fidelity Bank in Nigeria since 2015.

Six years on, he is at the same branch, working at the same entry-level position, for the same meagre salary of N68,000 ($165) a month.

It is not Basit’s work ethic that is lacking, but the arrangement under which he works.

He is not technically a full-time employee of Fidelity. The entire time he’s worked there, he’s been a contract staffer hired by an employment agency he has never dealt with directly.

Being a contractor means Basit has no upward career path within the bank, or benefits such as insurance, a pension, or a severance package if he’s let go.

If Fidelity’s management is not happy with his services, or they just want to cut expenses, they can let him go when his contract comes up for renewal every two years.

In the meantime, the employment agency siphons off a portion of his pay each month as a “commission”.

Fidelity Bank did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. But Basit’s story is far from unique.

More than 42 percent of the bank workers in Nigeria were contract staffers as of the third quarter last year, reports the National Bureau of Statistics.

The remainders are full-time employees with banks – roughly a third of who are senior staffers.

Though unionists and government officials say the issues surrounding contract bank workers are being addressed, solutions have been slow to come.

And until they do, there are few employment options for the banking sector’s largely youthful contract workforce to explore.

More than 42 percent of bank workers in Nigeria were contract staffers as of the third quarter last year, reports the National Bureau of Statistics.

Profits before workers

Basit often thinks of quitting his job as a bank teller.

But there are few prospects for him in Africa’s largest economy.

Nigeria’s official unemployment rate rocketed to 33.3 percent in the final three months of last year – the highest on record and among the highest in the world.

Over half of the country’s roughly 70 million-strong labour force was either jobless at the end of last year or not working a full-time job.

That jobs deficit has made it an employer’s market, leaving workers virtually powerless to negotiate – let alone demand – better terms.

In Basit’s case, that means punishing 10-hour days that leave him little time to even explore the few opportunities which may be available to him.

‘’The challenge is that you barely have the time to go search for a job elsewhere,” he told Al Jazeera.

“You leave the house as early as 5 or 6am and you get back by 6pm or so. How do I get back as tired as this and I still start searching for job opportunities when I know that there are only few?’’

Contract staffing has been a feature of Nigeria’s labour market for decades, but it is especially rife in the banking and oil sectors.

Over half of Nigeria’s roughly 70 million-strong labour force was either jobless at the end of last year or not working a full-time job.

For Nigeria’s unionists, the so-called “casualisation” of these workers is the result of financial institutions carving out bigger profits at the expense of labour rights.

“Generally, outsourcing, as far as labour is concerned, is an exploitative system,” said Comrade Sheikh Muhammed, national general secretary for the National Union of Banks Insurance and Financial Institution Employees (NUBIFIE).

Retired bank manager Abolarian Aderemi worked in banking for more than 30 years. He says the plight of contract workers is the result of poor government oversight.

“They are exploiting Nigeria’s poor leadership,” he said. “Labour union has been kicking against it, but nobody listens.”

Muhammed says contract workers face serious hurdles to joining or forming unions where they can collectively bargain for better pay and conditions.

“[Banks] take on casual workers in order also to make sure they confuse the identity and status of the worker so that they will not be able to exercise their right of belonging to anyone,” he told Al Jazeera.

The government has established a committee to review the myriad issues surrounding contract workers in the country’s banking sector.  But its efforts were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, told Al Jazeera.

“We want to review the whole issue regarding casualisation of workers with the banks and we are also in the process of reviewing all the labour laws now,” he said.

Muhammed said the review should help crack down on labour abuses.

“By the time the review is signed into a working document, no outsourcing will be done [in the banking and insurance sector] without consulting the union and taking cognizance of workers as reflected in the Labour Act,” he said.

A jobs deficit has made it an employer’s market in Nigeria, leaving workers virtually powerless to negotiate – let alone demand – better terms.

Young and exploited

While Nigeria has rules that govern working conditions for full-time staff, the law does not specifically address “triangular employment’’ that covers workers hired through employment agencies.

‘’From the legal perspective, there is nothing illegal about having contract staff; it is a function of contract,” said Waleey Fatai, a Lagos-based labour lawyer.

“From the moral perspective, [it is an issue of] half a loaf is better than none,” he told Al Jazeera.

NUBIFIE’s Muhammed says the problem is not how the current laws are worded, but that employment agencies are falling afoul of it.

“The Labour Act that regulates the relationship did not exempt you because you are a secondary provider of employment,” he said. “It is part of the things we capture in this memorandum of agreement we just worked on.”

But not all contract workers may even be aware of their rights. Many employment agencies look for entry-level candidates in their early 20s with an Ordinary National Diploma (OND), the lowest tertiary degree in Nigeria awarded by polytechnics after a two-year programme.

A higher degree may even work against a job applicant.

Thirty-eight-year-old Ukamaka Olisakwe worked in two banks as a contract staffer between 2008 and 2014 in Nigeria’s east.

She told Al Jazeera the first bank that employed her told her to list her OND on her application but omit her more prestigious Higher National Diploma (HND) – a four-year degree that equates with a bachelor’s degree.

‘’I think they found a loophole in the academic system,” Olisakwe told Al Jazeera.

She said her first bank paid her a meagre base salary of N25,000 a month [$61] plus commission, and assigned to her work in the sales department where she was given performance targets including opening five to six new accounts daily, and generating monthly cash deposits often totalling millions of naira.

“The target heaped on the back of the workers was nasty, unbelievable, [and] mind-bending and if you are unable to meet [the performance targets], you won’t get your commission,’’ she said.

Olisakwe left that job and took a contract position with another bank where she worked in the customer service office alongside full-time, core staff.

‘’It is the same job function that I was doing with the core staff, only that I could not approve account openings,’’ she said.

But her odds of gaining an equal footing with the full-timers were slim.

In order to parlay a contract job into a full-time staff position, workers must take a conversion exam. But few are invited to take the test.

‘’Conversion rarely happens. They will only hand-pick some people,” she said.

Olisakwe finally quit the sector, worried that even if she did manage to convert a contract job into a full-time position, she would eventually fall victim to age discrimination.

“You know polytechnics churn young people every year and when they come for training, the banks retain them to replace the older staff,” she said. “It is cheaper.’’

 

 

 


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E-Financial

FG to Train 100,000 Youths Annually in Forex Trading and Financial Skills

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Federal Government of Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Investonaire Academy to train 100,000 young Nigerians annually in forex trading, financial planning, and risk management.

The agreement, signed in Abuja, was announced by Omolara Esan, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Youth Development. According to her, the initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to reduce youth unemployment and enhance financial inclusion.

At the signing ceremony, Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, described the partnership as a milestone in the ministry’s efforts to equip young Nigerians with practical financial skills. He emphasized that the programme would foster critical thinking, improve digital literacy, and expand access to global economic opportunities.

Speaking on the collaboration, Dr. Enefola Odiba, International Programme Director at Investonaire Academy, highlighted the importance of empowering youth with relevant financial and digital skills. He described young people as essential drivers of innovation and national development.

The ministry assured that the programme would be implemented with transparency and measurable outcomes, ensuring that participants gain practical expertise in forex trading and financial planning.

The Federal Government has recently intensified efforts to boost skill development across various sectors. A separate plan aims to train 100,000 artisans nationwide, following the successful upskilling of 29,000 individuals in previous phases. This initiative seeks to professionalize vocational trades, eliminate quackery, and introduce licensing systems.

Additionally, technicians from specialized institutions will receive industry-standard training to strengthen Nigeria’s labor force and increase self-reliance in skilled professions.

Through these efforts, the government hopes to position Nigerian youth for economic success both locally and globally.


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NDIC Begins Final Settlements to Creditors of Liquidated Premier Bank

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Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has begun the final phase of liquidation for the defunct Premier Commercial Bank, initiating the payment of liquidation dividends to verified creditors, nearly 25 years after the bank’s closure.

NDIC Begins Final Settlements to Creditors of Liquidated Premier Bank

Premier Commercial Bank had its operating license revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on December 20, 2000, following findings of financial instability and regulatory non-compliance.

Since then, the NDIC has overseen the bank’s liquidation process under a winding-up order from the Federal High Court, which designated the corporation as the official liquidator.

In a public announcement, the NDIC invited all eligible creditors to visit any of its zonal offices between June 2 and June 27, 2025, to verify and claim their entitlements.

This move marks a critical milestone in the final settlement of claims related to the bank’s collapse.

To facilitate the verification process, creditors are required to present proof of deposit or shareholding, such as a passbook, chequebook, term deposit certificate, or bank statement.

Additionally, valid identification documents must be submitted, including a driver’s license, international passport, national identity card, NIN slip/card, voter’s card, or a formal identification letter from a traditional ruler or local government chairman.

The NDIC assured the public that the ongoing settlement is part of a broader effort to bring closure to longstanding claims resulting from Premier Commercial Bank’s liquidation. The process, according to the corporation, has been designed to ensure efficient disbursement to all verified stakeholders.

Premier Commercial Bank is one of 53 deposit money banks whose licenses were revoked by the CBN between 1994 and 2018 due to various violations and signs of financial distress.

These closures were followed by legal procedures appointing the NDIC to manage asset recoveries and creditor settlements.

By initiating this final phase of payment, the NDIC is reaffirming its commitment to financial system stability and depositor protection while calling on all affected individuals and institutions to complete verification processes promptly to receive their due compensation.


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SEC Directs Companies to Honour Unclaimed Dividend Requests

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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has directed all public companies and Registrars to stop treating unclaimed dividends older than 12 years as “statute-barred”, especially those dating from before the enactment of the Finance Act 2020.

SEC Directs Companies to Honour Unclaimed Dividend Requests

The directive reaffirms the provisions of Section 60 of the Finance Act, which mandates that dividends unclaimed for over six years be transferred to the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund (UFTF), where they remain accessible to shareholders pending claims.

The Commission said that shareholders are entitled to continue to claim their dividends that are not statute-barred (that is not above 12 years) before December 31, 2020 “when the Finance Act 2020, came into effect.”

According to the SEC in a Circular, “The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission has been drawn to the fact that paying companies and their Registrars have continued to treat unclaimed dividends of public companies that are older than 12 years as being “statute-barred” without recourse to the provisions of the Finance Act 2020.

“In response to various inquiries on the subject, the Commission hereby clarifies as follows: The import of the provisions of Section 60 of the Finance Act 2020 (December 31, 2020), is that, where dividends declared by a public company quoted on the Nigerian Exchange Limited remained unclaimed for a period of six years or more, such dividends are expected to be transferred to the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund (UFTF) to be held in trust and managed pending when the shareholder presents a claim for such unclaimed dividends.

“Pending the setting up and operationalisation of the UFTF by the Federal Government, pursuant to its powers under Sections 3 (4) (e) and 93 of the Investments and Securities Act 2025, the Commission hereby directs public companies and their Registrars to continue to honour all requests by shareholders for the payment of unclaimed dividends as described above, with effect from December 31, 2020”.

The Commission therefore directed public companies and Registrars to effect immediate compliance with the directive and submit periodic reports on same in the manner prescribed in the Commission’s Rules and Regulations.


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