This is going to be a leghthy read so, I advice that you prepare your mind to read about the ongoing issues in Enterprise Bank,former Spring Bank, which the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido nationalized on the 5th of august 2011.Yes, the Bank is still alive and is being prepared for a sale but the mind of staff - especially the younger ones, are seriously greived.

There are series of injustice and non-coporate governance issues in the Bank and the Management are seriously trying to silence all dissenting voices using the Gestapo style but fact is ' the man dies in any man who keeps silent in the face of injustice' (prof Wole Soyinka)
Conscience is an Open wound and only the truth can heal it

Enjoy the reading and feel free to share and pass it on.

Cheers!

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN ENTERPRISE BANK LIMITED: A MIRAGE?

Firstly I really must appreciate the management of Enterprise Bank Limited for providing the whistleblowing platform as this medium can help a system put itself in check via important self-regulatory feedback communication system. This medium would no doubt help the Bank (just like GTB did recently) to evaluate its decisions and how the stakeholders see them. At the end of the day, goodwill will be repaired/retained/sustained and the Bank would be the better for it.

The employees are supposed to be the soul of a business however in recent times in Nigeria; the employee is being treated as the sole of the business. Management and employee relations have never being cordial. Conflict is always on the agenda as the employees always see themselves as being exploited and their rights trampled so the question arises MUST PEOPLE FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS? CAN’T THEIR RIGHTS BE RECOGNISED AND RESPECTED?

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Martin-Niemöller (1946)
[i][/i]
The subject matter of this writing is NOT just TO ‘FIGHT FOR’ the rights of those who were short-changed and weren’t paid gratuity but an appeal to equity, good conscience and justice from the hearts and minds of all and sundry. If you chose to be silent now, as the Martin Niemoller above said, when they come for you, who would speak for you?
In 2011 August, when the CBN withdrew the operating licenses of Spring Bank, Bank PHB and Afribank, 3 bridge banks were established. Staff and depositors were scared but thanks to the wisdom of the CBN, their fears were allayed as Enterprise Bank, KeyStone Bank and Mainstreet Banks were born. The new banks started operation seamlessly and according to the CBN, corporate governance was a core requirement from the new banks. In the case of Enterprise Bank, staffs were made to declare there intention to work with the new bank by signing some well-worded documents and without much ado, the numerous staff obliged however on February 14 2012, there was a bomb shell.

Valentines Day was supposed to be a day of love but in Enterprise Bank in 2012, it was one of sorrow and tears as a good number of staff were laid off. It was quite painful but as the saying goes, life goes on. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the laid off staff as on the 17th of February, ALL their accounts were credited with gratuity payment. Talking about gratuity payment, please note what the Enterprise Bank policy states

(c) Gratuity Scheme
Any Employee who has served for five years and above, who is retiring, (or leaves
service for reasons other than dismissal on account of fraud, miss-conduct or any
criminal offence) shall receive a gratuity based on total years of service. Gratuity
entitlement shall be calculated in line with approved policy.
EBL Policy page 87

This policy statement was the same statement used to disqualify and deny some staff of their gratuity payment on the 2nd of September when Enterprise Bank‘s Management decided to pay off Spring Bank staff. The unpaid staffs were ‘disqualified because they haven’t spent up to 5 years’ as spelt out in the Spring Bank Policy.


Firstly, do note that there wasn’t an enforceable Spring Bank Policy. The Spring Bank policy was just advisory and had no force since no Managing Director signed it. However from the Enterprise Bank policy (stated above), the emphasis was on ‘retiring staff’. Staffs who retire after 5 years of service in Spring Bank were eligible for gratuity payment but our case is not about staff retiring, it is about the Bank retiring and being reborn and rebranded. The liquidation of the Bank was not in the policy. What was the bank to give its staff if it liquidates or decides to reborn/ sell itself?

The answer to this was glaring to all as I said earlier for on the 17th of February 2012, Enterprise Bank paid ALL the staff of Spring Bank that were laid off. Among those laid off were Management Trainees who have spent less than 5 years and yes, they were paid gratuity. Take a look at the information below:
Name of Staff Account Number Amount Paid
Emesiani Anthony 1800012808 649, 597:64
Ofulue Ifeoma 1800012891 683,755:09
Onyebu Magareth 1800014455 649, 597:64
Futughe Lucky 1800014723 649,597:64

These are just four instances of people who have not spent 5 years but did get gratuity payments. Please, which policy guided the above payment decision? Was it by the whim and caprices or self-desired rule of thumb? Surely, a socially responsible and corporate entity like Enterprise Bank should not lack well-defined, ethical and laudable policy to which it would always take recourse to.

Again, we are all aware that the contract staff FSFS after their long war with the management got their gratuity payments and again, ALL were paid INCLUDING THOSE WHO WERE NEVER A PART OF SPRING BANK! WHY!!! Is there a policy that specified this? Is there truly corporate governance in Enterprise Bank? Why double standards in gratuity payments? Why should the goal posts be shifted however and whenever the Management desires? This is not good for us.
As we focus on excellent customer service, how would cheated, demoralized and unjustly treated staff from their hearts of hearts serve their customers passionately? It’s not easy to smile with tears in your eyes, believe me, it is not. The hearts of the unpaid staff are heavy. They may have smiles on their lips but deep within, there is bitterness, pain and regret. Why should this be their portion? Shouldn’t justice, fairness and equity be for all? Don’t they deserve gratuity payments too?

Please our darling Management, we understand that funds are low while the debts are high but let this not deter us from doing that which is right and for which coming generations would either hail or flay us. We need to do what is right –Integrity should remain our watchword.

According to Prof Wole Soyinka: ‘the man dies in any man who keeps silent in the face of injustice”
A look at Martin-Niemöller (1946) again:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR YOU IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE SILENT CONCERNING OTHERS?