Cash for Jobs : Banking sector job scam

Cash for Jobs : Banking sector job scam
on october 27, 2013 at 5:01 am in business
By Funmi Komolafe
This report is the culmination of weeks of
investigation into the scam that is disguised as
tests for unsuspecting job seekers in the banking
sub-sector of the Nigerian economy. The findings
are shocking as much as they are bound to affect
your sensibilities of decency and morality. Because
of the sensitive nature of this matter, more so the
broad scope of our on-going investigations,
particularly the need not to jeopardize this work, we
have deliberately decided not to reveal the identities
of the job-seekers and the bank in question – mind
you, some other banks are involved in this scam.
However, as we gather more facts and by the time
the investigation runs its full course, we may then
be able to disclose the identities of all the parties
concerned.
Sometime in 1986, the then minister for labour and
productivity, then Rear Admiral Patrick Sebo
Koshoni, during his ministerial press briefing
announced that about one million Nigerians were
unemployed.
Even at that time, the figure he gave was regarded
as an under estimation of the problem of
unemployment which became visible in many
Nigerian homes about three years earlier.
Indeed, during the last days of the civilian
presidency of President Aliyu Usman Shehu Shagari
the problem grew fangs, but it was the government
of military president Ibrahim Babagida that officially
took steps to address the issue of unemployment
especially among the youths. The Babagida
administration through his ministers of labour
sought and got the assistance of the International
Labour Organisation to create jobs in the informal
sector. The consequence of which was the setting
up of the National Directorate of Employment to
create jobs in the informal sector.
Apart from this, another minister of labour in the
Babagida administration, then Brigadier-General Ike
Nwachukwu, during a ministerial briefing called on
banks to use part of the huge profits to engage a
number of young graduates. All of these efforts
didn’t do much to tackle the unemployment problem
as it got compounded with the high number of
graduates turned out by the universities.
The influx of foreign investors into Nigeria did not
stem the tide of unemployment either. Rather, it was
the era in which Nigerians were subjected to the
worst working conditions in the name of attracting
foreign investors. Many of these so-called
investors have subjected Nigerians to dehumanizing
working conditions. The Ikorodu factory fire of 2002
in which workers were roasted comes to mind. That
wasn’t an isolated case. A particular company
owned by the Chinese located in Ogba Lagos, had
its machine chop off hands and fingers of
employees and the organization has not been
sanctioned in any form.
It was also an era in which the so-called “ New
Generation Banks” came into business. Banks
pretending to be doing business in a manner
unknown to the older banks. These ‘ new generation
banks’ barred their employees from trade union
activities. They also do not belong to the Nigeria
Bankers Employers Group or even the Nigeria
Employers Consultative Association ( NECA).
It was and still is a culture of impunity.
Even with the pretensions to new ways of banking,
they are not known to have created jobs that have
been of any significant impact on the economy.
However, a current development in a bank
prompted an investigation which culminated in this
report.
Ms. Josephine ( actual name withheld) a graduate of
the University of Lagos some two years ago, while
desperately searching for a job, she got on line to a
company “ U Connect” . The company on its web
site listed its services as “ Recruitment,
Outsourcing, Placement, Training , Quality and
Management”.
This graduate was then invited along with others to
come and write tests for a job.
President Jonathan and Emeka Nwogu, Minister of
Labour and Productivity. while at the the
background job seekers scramble for few job
opportunities.
“We were not told what type of job it is” she said.
“After we had about three tests, some of us were
shortlisted and then invited for another round of
tests when the recruiting officer told us we were
being engaged on behalf of a bank”.
After the first round of tests, Josephine and others
were told that U Connect has concluded its own
side of the recruitment and that the Bank (name
withheld) though quite accessible would take over.
The bank did.
After another round of tests, the applicants were
congratulated for scaling through. If they thought
their problems of joblessness were over, and a new
life was ahead, they were dead wrong.
The applicants, young graduates (men and women),
were told to go and find for the bank 10 customers
who must open new accounts with the bank and
deposit at least N100,000 ( One hundred thousand
Naira). In other words, they were to source for the
bank One Million Naira. Simple, No money, no job.
Ngozi, (real name withheld) was able to find new
customers who deposited about N850,000 . With
that, she thought she would be commended. Rather,
she was booted out. She was disqualified from the
training programme, the next phase of her tests
because she failed to find customers who could
deposit One million Naira.
Another applicant who was able to raise a million
Naira from four depositors was knocked off the next
state. Why?
She was told that she had not met the requirement
of securing for the bank 10 depositors.
Another applicant, Akintoye (real identity protected)
was able to source for 10 Customers who met the
deposit target of One million but his aches had just
started. The young graduate, was told that to be
allowed to participate in the training programme to
be conducted somewhere in Ikeja, he must source
for the bank, a Guarantor who must deposit with the
bank N2,000,000 (Two million Naira).
Why?
”We were told that the training programme is quite
expensive and that it would be conducted by Havard
Business School. We were also told that we would
have to sign a bond that we would not quit the
services of the bank for any reason within two
years. If we do, then the Guarantor forfeits his
deposit”.
Sunday Vanguard obtained a copy of the letter
issued to the would be employees.
It states “ Thank you for honoring our interview
invitation; please be informed that you are required
to do the following:
”Option 1: Open 10 accounts with a total cumulative
balance of N1million (Minimum of N100,000 in each
of the accounts) OR ”Option 2. : Open a fixed
deposit of N5million for 180 days.
For whichever option you choose, please go to any
Bank branch closest to you to obtain account
opening forms for this exercise.
This exercise
A minimum of 10 account opening forms for Option
1
a minimum of 1 account opening form for Option 2
”All accounts must be tagged for reference and
easy tracking.
Also, find below the format for which the details of
the account opening exercise should be sent to the
underlisted email addresses…………..
(A list of the bank’s staff email addresses are
provided for the applicants but because of the
scope of this investigation we are not at this
moment going to reveal some details about the
bank as this may jeopardize on-going investigations
into this scam).Deadline for the exercise is : 18th
October 2013 by 12 noon
The format to send the details of account shows: S/
N, Name, Account Number and Amount ( N).
However, the letter was not signed. All efforts to
speak with Corporate Affairs Manager of the bank
were unsuccessful as the line was not available.
Having gone through Nigeria’s labour laws, one
cannot find a single sentence that supports these
conditions given to applicants by the bank.
Further investigations showed that U-Connect, the
company where this started sent this SMS to the
affected applicants “You are invited for an interview
( GRADUATE TRAINEE LEVEL 1) on Thursday
27/06/13 by 12 noon at U-Connnect, 5, Ogbunike
str, behind Avalon House, off admiralty way, Lekki
1, Lagos. Come with photocopies of all credentials ,
CV and passport.