Ajibam: "I Signed Myself Into Slavery Because Of Unemployment And Now I Can't Get Out"

Please I urgently need the help of any legal practitioners. I really don't know what I've gotten my self into.

I finished NYSC last year and two months later I was interviewed for a job at an Indian owned Pharmaceutical company. After two months I was offered the job as a Medical representative. My self and all other successful applicants were given a one-week training before we were all dispatched to our different states.

Among the employment forms we were given to sign there was a SERVICE BOND form which states that "I am to work with the company for TWO YEARS or pay a sum of 250.000" I signed because of the employment situation in the country and to be honest I was desperate I couldn't afford to be unemployed I had so many family pressures I was almost becoming depressed.

I am now on the job and my people I AM SEEING HELL!!! I work tirelessly my salary is less than 100k I spend a greater amount of it on transportation(Nature of the Job as a Medical Representative I Move from one place to the other) we were promised a car for mobility but this is almost 6months and absolutely nothing is being said about it. I am under the sun under the rain working. I hate complaining because I feel it is synonymous to being ungrateful but some days I can't take it I feel like quitting on the spot!

After I realised the service bond I signed I refused to sign the offer of employment letter (I still have it in my possession). Now I'm seeking a less stressful job because honestly this one is beginning to affect my health. How do I go about this SERVICE BOND please I really need help. I can't pay that 250k I can barely save up to 20k every month infact successfully saving 10k a month is a miracle! And I can't work for another 18 months I'm not sure I will survive. Please I need Your help!


http://m.naij.com/news/39768.html

2015 is around the corner, i want to believe you will look upon your present suferring to vote a credible govt that will create employment for Nigerians.

But please don't professional players in Europe sign similar contracts with their respective clubs? Can this also be termed "bonding"?.

Rarely comment, but this topic caught my attention.

I will advise all prospective employees to read the Nigerian Labor Law.

Please note that any term not covered by the labor law and included in an Employee's employment letter is null and void.

Look for a lawyer quickly, he'll advise you better.

Regards

indianin9ja: OP, as an Indian living in Nigeria, here's my two cents.

Stop calling it "Slavery". This is very misleading, and may incite hatred. I sometimes experience anti-Indian hatred from Nigerians here, and it is misleading rumours like this that contribute to racism against Indians here in Nigeria.

After all, you signed up to the contract. If you had any common sense at all, you'd come to expect that the job is hell or else they wouldn't bond you for 2 years. Why would a great job bond their employees with such a hefty penalty.

Yes, you can try to find if they also breach the contract, in which case the contract would be null and void. But I've come to learn that the legal enforcement of this country really means nothing, and perhaps a bribe by your employer would mean that you have no case against them.

Anyway, best of luck. Stop hating on Indians.

by slavery in nigeria we mean domestication,hard labour,no incentive,stingy/low pay even wen dia making millions (airtel), and d list is endless. Ds we know wit indian companies,we cant all be lying na

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a cushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end of the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demands of extended family members/relatives like you.
I would advise you to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite your little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

Time lost can never be regained especially time lost in writing this rubbish

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a cushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end of the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demands of extended family members/relatives like you.
I would advise you to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite your little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

jst shamefuly edit dis post, ur type is kemi olunloyo (madam governor), after deportation,next tin is to scatter mouth in naija.ur nt useful in uk dats y ur scouting nairaland,YEYE FOWL

kushe: @Natasha

People will never realise the value of truth till its consequence strikes them.Are Nigerian graduates lazy?In my own assessment,absolutely with a capital A.how about their sense of entitlement? These bunch of poorly educated so called stars(especially the ones post NYSC)attend job interviews and mention sums they intend to earn,sums that are so divergent from their numerical abilities.They hardly can write a decent letter with the right tenses,can hardly think backwards to solve a simple problem and yet they feel they deserve the world.If I have not met and interviewed a whole bunch of them then I would be totally unfair right now but it is just pathetic how bad our products are and Natasha ,let them crucify you,your tone was stern but absolutely required.
To those of you shouting Indian this,Indian that,go outside the shores of this country and sign any form of bond with the intention to breach it and get schooled in what the word 'cicilized' means.We all talk about your word being your bond and not reneging on a promise made.Haven't you ever heard that you can't eat your cake and have it?You signed a bond that stipulated the terms of your release.if you are not happy,guy produce the 250k and stop immersing the reputation of those of us that intend to live right in the mire of a perceived morally bankrupt existence.

Please.... not all Nigerian graduates are lazy and the last time I checked, those of us that travel out do compete favorably with the rest of the world despite our poor educational system

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a cushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end of the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demands of extended family members/relatives like you.
I would advise you to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite your little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

seriously u are an inhumane bitch with no modicum of conscience in you. back in 2010 u came running to NL and sort advice regarding skipping the constitutionally mandatory youth service scheme but u rightly said it then that u couldn't cope. now the gall of you to call a compatriot lazy having poured out his heart regarding the dehumanizing and horrifying situation he experiences on a daily basis. help yourself cos as far as am concerned u are a big excuse for an average Nigerian citizen

What has Natasha said that is untrue?all u shouting ' crucify her' ,I simply wonder how your daily lives are?what is ur attitude to honest,hard work and what values do you place as important?telling this guy to miss from work is akin to telling someone that gets a 6month visiting visa to miss once he has crossed heathrow,after all,many do it without consequence until one day someone is deported.No country can be greater than the sum total of the positive values the citizenry hold dear.if you like speak all the English in the world,after all you have a plum job and earn a fat pay,but if you encourage the wrong thing,no matter who you are,you are a product of the gutter cos we are the products of how we think.

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a cushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end of the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demands of extended family members/relatives like you.
I would advise you to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite your little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

seriously u are an inhumane bitch with no modicum of conscience in you. back in 2010 u came running to NL and sort advice regarding skipping the constitutionally mandatory youth service scheme but u rightly said it then that u couldn't cope. now the gall of you to call a compatriot lazy having poured out his heart regarding the dehumanizing and horrifying situation he experiences on a daily basis. help yourself cos as far as am concerned u are a big excuse for an average Nigerian citizen

Take full advantage of the situation. As a medical representative you must be meeting a lot of people. The network can help you in future. I have a friend who is now mega rich in this same Nigeria because he once worked as a medical rep, travelled around a lot, and so on. When he eventually set up his own company all those contacts became extremely useful.

Please do not be lazy at thinking. Do you think that Dangote started that easy? Learn the ropes, meet people and quit at the right time.

Would you rather sit down in one back office arranging files and being paid 100k per month for a job that is hardly progressive?

I do not in anyway condone what Indians and indeed what foreigners do in Nigeria to enslave us. No Nigerian can go to India to set up petty trade, yet they come here and enslave us. Blame our leaders for the nonsense. As we speak, mot of FG cabinet members are in China 'begging' for loans. If we are serious, we should be the ones bailing out others at this time, but we remain unserious and catastrophically retrogressive.

/
What happened to walking away?

How are they going to collect the N200,000?

Else, 2 years is not bad after all considering that a lot of people will fight to have the same job you have.

Talk to your partners in the banking world, the stressful situation is about the same and retrenchment is always knocking. Life is not fair, you know.

If you love your job, it will not be a job. My point is that most people hate their jobs but got to do it anyway.
Most people complain about how stressful their jobs are until they find out how more stressful unemployment could be.

So suck it up.

//

Treat every job like its yours whether u like it or not, then look for something better.

natasha: I will tell you that jobs are hard to come by, so also is keeping a job. There isnt an easy job. Even oil/banking/political jobs have alot of stress attached to it. If you are complaining that you work in the rain and sun (yet you hv a guaranteed income montgly irrespectively of your target met) i am sorry to say this; you are LAZY. Very lazy and a typical epitome of the nigerian graduate who feels the world owes them the right to a cushy, well paying stress free job.
Do you know how many hours the kids who hawk water/buns etc put in daily even at the weekends all for a meagre 200# naira at the end of the day? In the rain, sun, cold, they endure daily hazards like people stealing their wares, sexual harrassments from all sorts, injuries from feckless drivers.
Let me give you examples of life in d uk, there are people who work odd jobs in freezing conditions (-4 degrees typical weather condition for my city) here and end up sleeping on a couch at the end of the night just so they can save up and send money to take care of their responsibilities back home as well as meet the demands of extended family members/relatives like you.
I would advise you to suck it up, man up, stop acting like a spoilt child and learn to be thankful that you have a job despite your little work experience instead of conplaining that they didnt give you a car. Do you think its cheap maintaining a car? You need to stop this attitude of self entitlement and change your mentality. For someone who has already earned 600k in 6 months and cant boast of a 5% savings na wa o. Afraid she is catching me (as sum1 i know wld say).
Take what u can if u can from my words and i wish u well.

yes

kushe: What has Natasha said that is untrue?all u shouting ' crucify her' ,I simply wonder how your daily lives are?what is ur attitude to honest,hard work and what values do you place as important?telling this guy to miss from work is akin to telling someone that gets a 6month visiting visa to miss once he has crossed heathrow,after all,many do it without consequence until one day someone is deported.No country can be greater than the sum total of the positive values the citizenry hold dear.if you like speak all the English in the world,after all you have a plum job and earn a fat pay,but if you encourage the wrong thing,no matter who you are,you are a product of the gutter cos we are the products of how we think.

No wahala,take her,we dash u

Breeze don blow,Natasha yansh don open.she dey form saint mary for nairaland,unknown to her dat we have researchers in Nairaland dat handle pple like her.IDIOT!Mother of all liars-dats wat u are.@ 24 u already had a first and second degree plus 5years experience.fire burn ur mouth.Go and hide ur face in shame.

indianin9ja:

Stop spreading hate. Go work for Nigerian-owned businesses then.

Why would I work for anybody in my own country? Indian for that matter?Won't I just till the land and live of the land?

duni04:
Crap, from top to bottom absolute crap.

I swear, that her comment provoke me. E b lyk say she no sabi read n understand. I wan comment before but as soon as I read ur comment, no need for that.

People wey like her comment self r full of crap.

Thanks man.

[quote author=kushe]@Natasha

People will never realise the value of truth till its consequence strikes them.Are Nigerian graduates lazy?In my own assessment,absolutely with a capital A.how about their sense of entitlement? These bunch of poorly educated so called stars(especially the ones post NYSC)attend job interviews and mention sums they intend to earn,sums that are so divergent from their numerical abilities.They hardly can write a decent letter with the right tenses,can hardly think backwards to solve a simple problem and yet they feel they deserve the world.If I have not met and interviewed a whole bunch of them then I would be totally unfair right now but it is just pathetic how bad our products are and Natasha ,let them crucify you,your tone was stern but absolutely required.

I can see how intelligent u are.the great interviewer.
Decieve urself.

A

ifykole@yahoo.c:
Breeze don blow,Natasha yansh don open.she dey form saint mary for nairaland,unknown to her dat we have researchers in Nairaland dat handle pple like her.IDIOT!Mother of all liars-dats wat u are.@ 24 u already had a first and second degree plus 5years experience.fire burn ur mouth.Go and hide ur face in shame.

Haha. You mean am before?

steve10:


U are too hard on him

Well, ȋ̝̊ thinnk ȋ̝̊ like the comment. Some people are ready to jump at that kinda job, my brother, no job out here o.

kushe: @Natasha

People will never realise the value of truth till its consequence strikes them.Are Nigerian graduates lazy?In my own assessment,absolutely with a capital A.how about their sense of entitlement? These bunch of poorly educated so called stars(especially the ones post NYSC)attend job interviews and mention sums they intend to earn,sums that are so divergent from their numerical abilities.They hardly can write a decent letter with the right tenses,can hardly think backwards to solve a simple problem and yet they feel they deserve the world.If I have not met and interviewed a whole bunch of them then I would be totally unfair right now but it is just pathetic how bad our products are and Natasha ,let them crucify you,your tone was stern but absolutely required.
To those of you shouting Indian this,Indian that,go outside the shores of this country and sign any form of bond with the intention to breach it and get schooled in what the word 'cicilized' means.We all talk about your word being your bond and not reneging on a promise made.Haven't you ever heard that you can't eat your cake and have it?You signed a bond that stipulated the terms of your release.if you are not happy,guy produce the 250k and stop immersing the reputation of those of us that intend to live right in the mire of a perceived morally bankrupt existence.

Firstly, its very stupid to come here and generalize every Nigerian graduate as 'lazy'. This is a simple case of an employer making a promise and reneging on his promise while expecting his 'bonded' employer to do same. That's just ridiculous. Infact this is a plus to Nigerian graduates, they're not as stupid as the ones in your Utopia or in Natasha's imaginary world. If the employer is not 'civilised' enough to fufil his own contract, the OP should ignore the rubbish bond.

@itoroetti

Have you eaten today ?

kushe: What has Natasha said that is untrue?all u shouting ' crucify her' ,I simply wonder how your daily lives are?what is ur attitude to honest,hard work and what values do you place as important?telling this guy to miss from work is akin to telling someone that gets a 6month visiting visa to miss once he has crossed heathrow,after all,many do it without consequence until one day someone is deported.No country can be greater than the sum total of the positive values the citizenry hold dear.if you like speak all the English in the world,after all you have a plum job and earn a fat pay,but if you encourage the wrong thing,no matter who you are,you are a product of the gutter cos we are the products of how we think.

such warped argument. thought you were smart else you would have deduced that the guy was fed up because he is not being mobilized by his company. he had to dip into his salary to take care of his transportation and this was not part of the terms of engagement. nowhere did i read he is lazy.

I think some Nigerians are plain lazy doesn't eliminate the fact that some companies over-work their staff, however i experienced a lot of hardship in the bank and IT industry i had two choice i could quit and stay at home after all my parents are comfortable if i am going with that mindset or i suck it up and continue, i sucked it up and continued with the work, its stressful but I didn't die. The truth is that even a Nigerian business will equally stress you out, its business not play, you can hate natasha for all you want but that's the truth, the fact you graduated doesn't mean you are entitled to a job, and if its not your thing, then go be an entrepreneur and tell me if that is easy, some Nigerians want short-cut to success. Even here in my school the Nigerian students complain of low grades and that the teachers are failing them, and looking at the efforts put into their work, i would say the picture is being nice, this are the kinda things that destroy the country, an IT graduate can code not even operate a system but wants a pass mark, that same graduate would be employed later and complain about the work because he or she doesn't know it. I really fear for our future.

pc guru: I think some Nigerians are plain lazy doesn't eliminate the fact that some companies over-work their staff, however i experienced a lot of hardship in the bank and IT industry i had two choice i could quit and stay at home after all my parents are comfortable if i am going with that mindset or i suck it up and continue, i sucked it up and continued with the work, its stressful but I didn't die. The truth is that even a Nigerian business will equally stress you out, its business not play, you can hate natasha for all you want but that's the truth, the fact you graduated doesn't mean you are entitled to a job, and if its not your thing, then go be an entrepreneur and tell me if that is easy, some Nigerians want short-cut to success. Even here in my school the Nigerian students complain of low grades and that the teachers are failing them, and looking at the efforts put into their work, i would say the picture is being nice, this are the kinda things that destroy the country, an IT graduate can code not even operate a system but wants a pass mark, that same graduate would be employed later and complain about the work because he or she doesn't know it. I really fear for our future.

you people don't really get it you do you? please go back and read the whole thing very slowly.

i worked in a bank too. i had access to the pool car and as such, i did not have to dip into my salary to take care of mobility unless it was absolutely necessary and as such, i was able to save more than 60% of my salary monthly.

the bone of contention is that the employer either live up to their commitment to provide transportation or should not talk of any bond.

@duni04

I have no qualms with this man wanting to run from harsh working conditions,my problem is most people's attitude to the bond the man signed.A bond is a signed contract binding you to a Corporate entity for a specified period.U provide your skills and they reward you accordingly,monetarily and in other ways as specified by your contract form or employment letter.why didn't you consult a lawyer before signing the bond,now you see gbege,you dey run.
one of the most used terms amongst youth in Nigeria today especially artists is 'endorsement deal' .When an artist endorses a particular brand,say an mtn or etisalat,he or she is paid Heftily and signs a bond that says for as long as he is signed to that brand,he can't be seen fraternising with a competing brand or engaging in behaviour that will marr the integrity of the brand he represents.M.i no fit go waka for mtn yellow carpet after he don collect adenuga money neither should Tiwa savage or wizkid be seen drinking coke in public.if they like let them forget themselves and just misdo,a bond is a bond,if you can't honour it,don't sign it.
a paparazzi snapped the wrist of a supermodel recently and she was wearing a wristwatch that wasn't the product of the brand she had endorsed .even though the gbeborun had invaded her space to obtain the shots,she was dropped and lost millions in endorsement fees.That is how civilised folks roll.

just prepare to get sacked by slowing down their work. visit hospital regularly possibly for mental illness. start a master program in a nearby university and absent from job frequently. also seek legal advice.

erniok:

you people don't really get you do you? please go back and read the whole thing very slowly.
i worked in a bank too. i had access to the pool car and as such, i did not have to dip into my salary to take care of mobility unless it was absolutely necessary and as such, i was able to save more than 60% of my salary monthly.

the bone of contention is that the employer either live up to their commitment to provide transportation or should not talk of any bond.

My Statement was a generalized statement and not specifically to the OP, now the OP messed up by signing, so its his fault, one thing i learnt in the bank, never sign any legal document without a lawyer even as a Web Developer, because that's the easiest way to get entangled, so how can he not know what to expect by just signing away like that. That's why we have lawyers for a reason.

just prepare to get sacked by slowing down their work. visit hospital regularly possibly for mental illness. start a master program in a nearby university and absent from job frequently. you can kidnap urself or travel to far distance to visit friend for a week. never resign oh. also seek legal advice.

kushe: @duni04

I have no qualms with this man wanting to run from harsh working conditions,my problem is most people's attitude to the bond the man signed.A bond is a signed contract binding you to a Corporate entity for a specified period.U provide your skills and they reward you accordingly,monetarily and in other ways as specified by your contract form or employment letter.why didn't you consult a lawyer before signing the bond,now you see gbege,you dey run.
one of the most used terms amongst youth in Nigeria today especially artists is 'endorsement deal' .When an artist endorses a particular brand,say an mtn or etisalat,he or she is paid Heftily and signs a bond that says for as long as he is signed to that brand,he can't be seen fraternising with a competing brand or engaging in behaviour that will marr the integrity of the brand he represents.M.i no fit go waka for mtn yellow carpet after he don collect adenuga money neither should Tiwa savage or wizkid be seen drinking coke in public.if they like let them forget themselves and just misdo,a bond is a bond,if you can't honour it,don't sign it.
a paparazzi snapped the wrist of a supermodel recently and she was wearing a wristwatch that wasn't the product of the brand she had endorsed .even though the gbeborun had invaded her space to obtain the shots,she was dropped and lost millions in endorsement fees.That is how civilised folks roll.

My Point exactly people debate with senitments, sorry but the corporate world is a harsh one, and it has no room for mistakes, oh sorry it actually does but it capitalizes on people's mistakes