E-Financial
Hidden Shame of Contract Workers in Nigerian Banks- Al Jazeera
A report by Al Jazeera has documented the hidden shame of Nigerian banking system where contract staffers in financial institutions live poverty line.
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.’’
Nigeria’s banking sector is losing an estimated N2.5 trillion in annual earnings due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s high Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) policy, according to a new report by Chapel Hill Denham.
The investment banking and research firm said the policy continues to impose significant constraints on bank profitability by requiring lenders to keep a large portion of customer deposits with the Central Bank without earning returns on them, effectively locking away funds that could otherwise support lending and income generation.
In its report titled “The Nigerian Banking Paradox: High Returns, Deep Discounts,” Chapel Hill Denham noted that although Nigerian banks rank among the highest return-on-equity performers in Africa, they remain undervalued compared to peers, largely due to regulatory constraints and macroeconomic uncertainty.
The firm identified the CRR regime as a key structural factor limiting the sector’s earnings potential, arguing that it reduces balance sheet efficiency and restricts credit creation to the real economy.
According to the report, banks are still required to pay interest on deposits while a significant portion of those funds remains sterilised at the apex bank.
Chapel Hill Denham stated that the current policy framework, which evolved in response to past financial sector instability and exchange rate pressures, may now be exerting a heavier drag on growth and profitability than originally intended.
“Our analysis reveals that Nigerian banks operate under a uniquely restrictive regulatory perimeter,” the report said, adding that the structure suppresses reported returns despite underlying profitability strength.
The report also compared Nigeria’s reserve requirements with other jurisdictions, noting that the country’s CRR remains significantly higher than several African and emerging markets.
While South Africa operates a 2.5 per cent CRR, Kenya maintains 4.25 per cent, Ghana 15 per cent, and Egypt 16 per cent, with Morocco reported to have reduced its reserve ratio to zero.
Analysts at the firm said a moderation of Nigeria’s CRR from 50 per cent to 30 per cent could release up to N8 trillion into the banking system and potentially boost annual pre-tax profits by about N800 billion.
They added that investors currently price Nigerian banks on the assumption that the tight monetary stance will persist, limiting valuation upside despite strong earnings performance.
At its February 2026 meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria retained the CRR for Deposit Money Banks at 45 per cent, while Merchant Banks remained at 16 per cent, and public sector deposits outside the Treasury Single Account framework at 75 per cent, as part of efforts to sustain tight monetary conditions and manage liquidity pressures.
Lagos State Government has sanctioned 15 money lending firms over violations of operational guidelines and practices considered harmful to residents.
Ibrahim Layode, commissioner for Home Affairs, disclosed this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held in Ikeja.
Layode said the affected firms were penalised for engaging in sharp practices contrary to regulations guiding money lending operations in the state.
According to him, the government remains committed to enforcing strict compliance within the sector to curb fraudulent financial activities and protect Lagos residents from exploitation.
“The firms were sanctioned to ensure strict adherence to guidelines and to protect Lagosians from sharp practices by financial firms,” he said.
The commissioner described money lending as an important part of the economy, noting that it provides quick and accessible credit facilities to petty traders and small-scale business owners who often face difficulties obtaining loans from commercial banks due to stringent requirements.
“Moneylending business is one of the vital parts of the economy which allows people in the small-scale industry and petty traders to have stress-free access to quick loans to finance their businesses,” Layode said.
He explained that the Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for processing applications, issuing and renewing licences for money lenders, as well as monitoring and supervising their operations across the state.
Layode added that the ministry regularly organises stakeholders’ forums to expose operators to global best practices and improve professionalism within the industry.
“We also conduct stakeholders’ forums for moneylender operators in order to bring them up to speed on the latest world best practices,” he said.
The commissioner further disclosed that the ministry collaborates with federal regulatory agencies, including the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), to ensure compliance with financial and consumer protection regulations.
According to him, the ministry also profiles and monitors money lending firms to protect residents from fraudulent operators and dubious schemes.
“In addition, the Ministry registers, profiles and monitors the viability of such companies with a view to ensuring that while the money lenders are in business, the general public is also protected from being scammed by fraudulent people of questionable characters,” Layode said.
He noted that licensed money lenders have contributed significantly to the growth of micro and small businesses in Lagos by providing alternative sources of financing outside the conventional banking system.
“This partnership has greatly assisted small-scale business owners in Lagos to keep their petty businesses afloat without having to contend with high interest rates and clauses of the big commercial banks,” he added.
Layode revealed that between 2025 and 2026, the ministry received 112 new applications from money lending operators, while 214 existing licences were renewed.
On naturalisation and special immigrant status applications, the commissioner said the ministry, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Interior, continued to process applications from foreign nationals seeking Nigerian citizenship or permanent residency.
He explained that naturalisation is granted to foreigners who have resided continuously in Nigeria for at least 15 years and have established investment interests in their states of residence.
“The objective of the exercise is to grant citizenship rights to foreigners who have lived in the country continuously for fifteen years and above with investment interests in their states of residence,” he said.
Layode added that special immigrant status is granted to foreign nationals married to Nigerian citizens to promote integration and economic development.
According to him, applicants undergo screening and verification processes involving the Nigerian Immigration Service, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police, Lagos State Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service.
He disclosed that 68 applications for naturalisation and special immigrant status were received during the period under review, while 20 applicants were screened and cross-examined for onward transmission to the Federal Ministry of Interior for final approval.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, in partnership with Visa, has launched its multicurrency Visa Signature card, a premium offering designed for Nigeria’s affluent segment, as well as the Naira Visa Debit Card aimed at extending accessible, reliable electronic payment capabilities to a broader segment of the Nigerian population.
According to First Bank, the Signature card offers an exclusive portfolio of lifestyle benefits, global travel privileges, and curated merchant offers through Visa’s worldwide acceptance network, giving high-spending Nigerians a product built around how they live.
Commenting on FirstBank’s ambition for its premium cardholders, Chuma Ezirim, group executive, eBusiness & Retail Products, FirstBank, said Visa Signature is crafted to meet those expectations and lifestyle privileges that empower customers to live without boundaries.
“At FirstBank, we are dedicated to creating financial solutions that reflect the evolving lifestyles of our customers. We understand that our premium customers aspire to experiences that reflect their global outlook.
“Visa Signature is crafted to meet those expectations, offering access to exclusive experiences, global connectivity, and lifestyle privileges that empower our customers to live without boundaries. We remain focused on creating value and reinforcing our position as the partner of first choice for Nigerians at home and abroad.”
Highlighting the strategic importance of the FirstBank partnership, Andrew Uaboi, vice president and Cluster head, West Africa, Visa, noted “Nigeria’s affluent consumers are among the most active and globally connected spenders on the continent. Visa Signature is designed to serve that profile with the depth of benefits and the breadth of acceptance they deserve. We are delighted to work with FirstBank in making this available to the Nigerian market.”
Ezirim explained that through Visa Global benefits and Visa Destination offers, the Signature cardholders gain access to preferential rates, premium experiences, and priority services across hundreds of partner merchants, hotels, airlines, and destinations around the world. The card which is multicurrency in nature supports both domestic and cross-border transactions, ensuring seamless payment experiences.
Also speaking on the launch of the Naira Visa Debit Card, Ezirim said the card is “designed to make life easier for our customers, whether they are paying for groceries, settling utility bills, or shopping online. By extending reliable electronic payment access across Nigeria, we are helping more people transition confidently from cash to digital payments, supporting the nation’s cashless policy and empowering communities with greater financial inclusion.”
On his part, Uaboi, noted that “a strong payments ecosystem works for everyone. The Naira Visa Debit Card extends reliable electronic payment access to everyday Nigerian consumers, and this in addition to the cards in our portfolio continues to demonstrate what a truly comprehensive card portfolio looks like for the Nigerian market. Visa is proud to power this offering with FirstBank.”
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