There was another instance, which happened three months ago. A 47-year-old man absconded with his employer’s car hours after he was recruited. When he was arrested, he told the investigators that he was not ready to be paying the agents money every month. He was to be paid N60,000 a month, but his take-home pay was N40,000 as agreed with recruitment
Sani is a secondary school graduate who relocated to Lagos in search of greener pastures. Temporarily squatting with a friend in Ajao Estate, Isolo, Sani, who is a trained driver, started hunting for jobs. He was advised to look out for adverts pasted on walls, especially at any busy bus stop.
One day, something caught his eye at Os
hodi Under Bridge pillars. Pasted on the walls was an advert by a wine producing company, which read: “A company producing Aloe Vera wine needs workers, N3000 daily and N48,000 monthly. Free accommodation; you are to work for four days on and two days off.”
Curious, he called the contact number on the advert, and was asked to come over to a petrol station at Abule Egba Bus Stop. On getting to the agreed spot, he met a man, who introduced himself as Ebuka, who took him to an office close to the bus stop. Ebuka asked him to pay N3,500 for the form, and told him that the job, which was in Agbara area of Ogun State, was already his.
Mohammed recalled: “They only asked me to write my name and phone number. Then Ebuka explained to me that he would provide all the details needed. He brought another form, which was an undertaking that I would give them 50 percent of my first salary and N10,000 every month. I told him that the remainder was very small and might not be enough to sustain me. But he told me to ask others how it was done.
“He said that he would use the money to pay the person that would stand as a guarantor. While I was waiting and arguing on the percentage, several people submitted their forms and left. One of them, who had been working as a casual staff in several companies, told me that this was the only way to get a quick job,” he narrated to Saturday Sun.
This isn’t an isolated case. Due to desperation, several unemployed persons, just like Mohammed, are willing to accept any job. Most affected are the casual workers or contract staff.
However, the Nigeria’s Labour Act, Chapter 198, on protection of wages, number 2 stated that ‘no employer shall impose in any contract for the employment of any worker any terms as to the place at which, or the manner in which, or the person with whom any wages paid to the worker are to be expended, and every contract between an employer and a worker containing any such terms shall be illegal null and void. Any employer who does otherwise risks jail term or fine.” Despite these laid down laws, Saturday Sun uncovered that most of these recruitment agencies still indulge in the act of extortion. They attract their target through adverts in public places with no known address or business registration.
The contractors, who are owners of factories, small businesses and private individuals, prefer their services because of cheap labour.
A recruitment agent, who spoke with Saturday Sun under the condition of anonymity, said that they were simply helping jobless persons to secure jobs.
“No one forced them to do the job, it is normally for low-income earners. Our duty is to find these jobs and also take the risk of standing as a guarantor. Most of the applicants are from poor homes and their parents are in their villages. Some of our colleagues in this job are in jail because they signed as guarantors. The money we collect is saved to hire lawyers if need be.
“Some will tell you that we are the ones encouraging them to steal. This is not true; no normal person will expose himself as a guarantor if he had such plans. Those ones are already criminals looking for an opportunity to commit more crimes. Like I said, it is not by force. If you think that the amount offered is not enough then stay away and give room for others to get the job,” he stated
Recounting their experiences, most of the applicants, who spoke with Saturday Sun, said that they had no choice but to accept the offer in the quest to feed their families. Segun, now training as a tailor, said that he had to resign when the take home pay was no longer enough to feed and pay for his transportation.
He recalled: “I saw the advert to work in a factory in Apapa and the salary was N45,000 a month. I was so excited, because it is very difficult to get such a job as a secondary school dropout.
“We met the recruitment agent in an apartment in Oshodi. There were so many who came that day. I bought the registration form and was asked to bring three guarantors. The guarantors must be a successful businessman or a civil servant. Majority that came could not meet up with such demand. It was then they told us that there was an option: they said we had to forfeit a month’s salary and, subsequently, we would be receiving N35,000 a month.
“The agency told us that the first month’s salary would be used to pay our guarantor to sign the forms and N10,000 a month would be shared among them to buy recharge cards. Some of us, who were desperate, had no choice but to sign the form. We were told to willingly hand over the money or the guarantor would terminate the agreement.
“That one month was very difficult, because you had to borrow money to pay for transport and feed for two months before the next salary would be paid. I suffered a lot and managed to work for only four months before I left. My debtors were after me and I had to look for something else to do to make ends meet.”
“Do you have an alternative for us?” Ukeme asked when the reporter asked she could accept such conditions from the recruitment agency. She works as a cook for a family in Ikeja and had to forfeit her first month salary in order to secure the job.
“I am even lucky that I was given accommodation by my employer, so it was easy to survive without a salary for two months. I am from Akwa Ibom, and I initially wanted to travel to Lagos for nanny work, but I was lucky to get a job as a cook. The recruitment agency advertised for the work in Uyo. It was when I got the opportunity that I travelled to Lagos with my family for them to test my food. My salary is N20, 000, but I was to pay N20,000 to the recruitment agency.
“I don’t even know who my guarantors are. All I know is that my employers are happy with my cooking and I will do whatever it takes to keep my job. My parents are poor farmers and I send N20,000 to them every month. I am not complaining, because it is not easy to get a job.”
On how the money is remitted to the recruitment agency, Ukeme said: “I am the one who will make the payment as soon as I get my salary. If I fail to pay, then I will lose my job. I am lucky that my employers are generous and have rich friends. They normally give me tips after eating my food. I make more than N20,000 every month on tips.”
Unlike Ukeme, an ex-banker, simply identified as Paul, who was recently sacked, called on the Federal Government to help bankers who are contract staff.
“Don’t be deceived by those you see wearing suits inside the banking halls. Most of them are contract staff, and most of their salaries are not more than N50,000 for graduates. This is why they fall into all kinds of temptations and end up being sacked, like me. I was employed by a new generation bank two years ago through one recruitment agency —I am a graduate in accounting, and we were placed on N50,000 salary with a promise that, after six months, it would be increased. It was never done until I was sacked.
“We got to know through our superiors that the bank was paying the recruitment agency twice that amount. I live in Oshodi, and my office was in Apapa, I was so proud to wear a suit everyday and impress my neighbours, but I was always in debt. I felt relieved when they even sacked me because I wouldn’t have known that I can survive without that work. Today, I am a blogger, and I make ten times my salary in a month.”
Also, a retired police sergeant who works as a security man in a supermarket in Mafoluku area in Oshodi, said that himself and his colleagues survive on tips from generous customers. “I retired two years ago and my pension is not enough to feed me alone. I have a wife and five children who are still dependent. I had to get another job, and this is the fastest one that I could get at my age. They pay me N35,000 a month, and I had to give half the amount to the recruitment agent after collecting my first salary. It is not negotiable, as a lot of people are even willing to give the entire first salary just to secure the job,” he stated.
According to the Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, a superintendent of police, it is a crime against employees. He advised such a victim to approach the National Industrial Court. “It is against our labour laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions. Applicants should learn to speak out and report such agencies to the appropriate authorities. Do not accept injustice and resort to criminal activities,” he advised.
A senior police officer (names withheld) at the Lagos Police Command, who spoke with Saturday Sun, blamed the Ministry of Labour for not doing enough to check the activities of these recruitment agencies. He said, “The extortion level is very bad and it’s part of some of the reasons domestic servants end up stealing from their employers.
“There was an instance where an 18-year-old girl was brought from Ebonyi State to work as a maid. Her employers agreed to pay her N30,000 a month. It was even the employer that was sending N15,000 to the recruitment agent and paying the girl N15,000 a month. She was only allowed to eat once a day from the family that she was serving and buy her toiletries. She was expected to feed herself if she needed extra food and still save money to send to her family. After four months, she did the obvious. She got access to their valuables and fled with it. Till date, no one knows her current location.
“There was another instance, which happened three months ago. A 47-year-old man absconded with his employer’s car hours after he was recruited. When he was arrested, he told the investigators that he was not ready to be paying the agents money every month. He was to be paid N60,000 a month, but his take-home pay was N40,000 as agreed with recruitment agent.
“Yet another instance was when the young maid, who was 20, decided to have sex with all the men in the house where she was serving just to make extra cash for herself. She was employed and paid N15,000 a month. This caused clashes among the men in the house, and, to get rid of her, she was accused of theft. She had to open up to her madam when it became a police case.
“There was another that took the employer’s child and fled. She sold the baby and relocated to Ghana. After several months of tracking, she was arrested and the baby recovered. She confessed that she was forced by the recruitment agency that gave her the job to forfeit her two months’ salary.
“The point that I am making is that the employers should realise that they are the ones at risk for accepting such injustice. How can you employ a security man to guard your multi-million property and his salary is N20,000” he queried.