In February 2015, I got a job to work for someone as a reporter for his newly established niche news website with a salary of N55,000 a month plus weekly N4,000 basic transport allowance. During the interview, the employer made me understand that paying salaries wouldn't be a problem as he had well established contacts who work for brands within the niche industry who were willing to advertise on the website. According to him, all he needed was a reporter who would work on the field and send in news reports while he focused on publishing on the website. He wouldn't want to do it himself because he was still an employee of one of the biggest brands within the industry. He also told me he had decided he would be leaving his job to focus on his website.

The first alarm bells rang when at the end of that first month rather than the agreed N55,000 salary he gave me N40,000 with the promise he would pay the balance before the end of the week. He didn't pay this balance. He also reduced the weekly transport allowance to N2,000. He paid the full salary at the end of the second month (March) though he didn't pay the outstanding of the previous month. He then stopped paying the now-reduced weekly transport allowance, saying I should use my personal money to cover transportation that he would pay everything at the end of that month (April). He also sacked the only other staff `he had (advert manager) on the basis that she was lazy and wasn't willing to do "whatever it takes" to bring in any adverts.

At the end of April, he kept on telling me he had travelled out of the state on personal business and would pay me on getting back. He had rented a little office where we often meet for meetings and agenda setting. During these periods, I never defaulted on my work. I went to the beat daily and regularly sent in news stories and articles which were all published on his website.

At the end of May when I asked for my salary he told me we needed to see as there was something important he wanted to discuss with me. On meeting him, he told me he could no longer afford to pay my salaries and would have to let me go. He went on about how he has decided to shelve his plan to leave his employers and how he had never owed any employee in his life. He promised to pay my outstanding salaries. By this time, the money he owed me were:

February balance N10,000
April Salary N55,000
May Salary N55,000
2months of BTA N16,000
-----------
Total N136,000

At the end of that meeting he gave me N10,000 with the promise to pay the remainder fully within 3 months. But he only paid me another N10,000 around August of that year after many pleadings. He didn't make any more payments until February 2016 when he paid another N10,000 into my account after I disturbed him non-stop for about 2 months. He's yet to pay a dime since then.

Although I have since moved on and gotten other jobs, I still would want to get the money owed me. After all, I did worked for it and even used my personal money for transportation to the beat everyday for over 2 months without recompense. At this moment, he has stopped picking my calls whenever I dial his number. But from what I know of him, I'm sure he can afford to pay the whole money in an instant without batting an eye and it's just bewildering to think a man of his status would still be owing me after almost three years.

My question is, is there a way I can compel him to pay the remaining N106,000? I still have the employment letter stipulating all the terms and agreement of the job.


PS: It's been a while I used this handle, I'm only doing so to protect my identity and that of the person I'm talking about as he is a popular and highly placed person within his industry.

Hmm

End time employers. If you have hard evidences like letter of appointment with salary agreement on it, payslip history then game on if not I advise you call him and secretly make him agree to the existence of a debt while you also secretly record it. With this you have something to hold him with if it ever becomes a police or court or denial issue. Sorry ehn, end time employers errywhere.

harrypotter you must be missing hagrid and dumbledore. lolz