The removal of Dr. (mrs) Cecilia Ibru as the MD/CEO of Oceanic Bank plc by CBN governor is no more news to the bewildered and shocked Nigerians. She was a woman of glamour and glitz, no wonder she was labelled "The First Lady of the Banking Industry". She was showered with awards and a lot encomiums for taking her organisation from the brink of extinction in early 2000 to a force to reckon with within the Nigerian banking world. The predicament Oceanic Bank is in today has to do with the management (Mrs Ibru and the mangement team) and the culture of indiscpline of the staff of the bank, who Mrs Ibru gave one of the best welfare package within the industry. I have a strong opinion that the staff contributed immensely to the sack of Mrs Ibru --- but in a way she will still take the blame, because staff of an organisation are a reflection of their management and the management is a mirror of the MD/CEOs vision.

The Management

Oceanic bank has always be running on default mode and some of us knew that it was just a matter of time before the bank would be shaken to the root. Many attimes, i wonder whether Mrs Ibru reads whatever is given to her to sign. Most times, you will see her signing a document, the following day she will sign another countering the one she signed yesterday and by tommorrow she will sign another one reversing the one she signed today. It says a lot about her management style. She never instilled the culture of discpline that we appreciate in other banks in her organisation. Most staff do not take responsibilities for their actions because there is no penalty for their sins in any way. Most of her staff only have jobs, they did not have reponsibilities. The EDs aand management team that she was (maybe) paying to build the discpline within the organisation, ensure spirit of excellence and drive the workforce in line with the vision and mission of the company failed woefully in their duties.

My advise to the new management is that they should take staff discpline seriously if they really want to succeed.

The Staff

Having worked in 2banks before, i think Oceanic staff are one of the most indiscplined workers with no sense of urgency to duty. It is a norm for people not to read their mails, talkless of replying them (except you call them 1st on the phone). You will even call some people, they will tell you, they are not in the office, that you should call back in 3days time and they are so confident that Mrs Ibru will still pay for their unrendered services at month end. Some people even travel out for weeks without being on official leave and without HRs approval and they will still be paid. A colleague did this in head office and heavens did not fall!!!!!!!!!! They will tell you they were given approval by their boss. Most of these bosses given unapproved leave are BOs, SBOs and even if they are SMs or AGMS, there should be order!!!!!!! This is sickening and pathetic. Where else can this happen, if it is not oceanic, then it must be civil service. It is better we arrest this cankerworms before it rots the flesh to the bone marrow which might lead to the demise of our dear Oceanic.

Spoken English of some staff is so pathetic that you will not but wonder who recruited these category of people. Definitely, I have concluded in mind that people that are in HR are recruiting their type. Why is Oceanic not being choosy in her recruitment, even smaller banks like Access and FCMB, not to talk of GTBank and Zenith that are our peer, are very choosy during recruitment. It is HR that is recruiting the set of indiscplined people into the organisation that does not really have a culture -- what do u expect, they will do things the way they like and ripple effect will impact on the organisation.

Officers do not strive not to make mistakes, because they know there is no penalty for them. That is why you will see one A/C being opened 3 times, 4 cheque book request for the same customer, and alot of a/cs that were opened on zero balance. Why will it not persist when people are not being made responsible for their actions. Known Heads of Operation galivant round the town during office hours --- are they marketers too?, why wont customer service officers abscond from duty post too.

For the RICs and Agent MS --- have we asked ourselves that why is that the same thing Agent MS reported in a northern branch is the same thing that will be reported in an eastern branch or Lagos or western branch the following month. People know that there is no penalty for whatever the Agent writes, he is only undergoing all expenses paid tour of Nigeria. There will never be change if you dont make people responsible for their actions. Sincerely some RICs are real while majorities are jesters and embarrassment to Internal Control. Some even connive to conceal fraud they are meant to be exposing.

For the marketers, most of the marketers are deposit canvassers. You cannot have a concrete discussion on basics of banking with some them, talkless of having concrete discussions on global happenings. As the 21st century relationship officers, your knowledge base is what can seperate you from the marketers of other banks. Most times, the marketers give loans to all sort of people -- politician, traders, small scale entreprises -- under different nomenclatures such as discretionary lending and go to sleep. Why wont such loans go bad. If they are aware of the penalty (as obtainable in other banks) that awaits them if these loans go bad, they will ensure that the repayment of such loans are assured. That is why i said people dont take responsbilities for their actions because there is no penalty. The excuse is always, they need to give those loans, so as to secure deposits.

In conclusion, I also got your text Mr John Aboh, and while we try not to panic, kindly teach the Oceanic person about ownership culture and build that culture of excellence that great organizations are known for. You deserve to get what you pay for. To the few Oceanic people who will read this first hand, you owe Oceanic a duty of professionalism. Please spread the word and may we all experience peace for years and years to come.

Can't quite figure out where to place this thread. Moving it to the Career Section.

story I HATE OCEANIC BANK. I TOTALLY DIG GTB you should give em a try.

I am really impressed by the objectivity of the writer.

@ Seun

Kindly move the story to the front page. Management of Oceanic Bank needs to read this, so they can know what they are up against. You owe them that duty.

i hope ur not working in a bank presently cuz this is semi-demarketing violation of cbn rules!

@Seun where else would you move it if not the finance section.

I think the poster is right. A number of bankers here at my branch that came from the bank said that much about the bank and the lead character, Mrs. Ibru but I think she had good intentions and I guess she was too nice to be firm. That's one lesson we should all learn in management.

GTB rocks. i can attest to that

I got the text too from Mr John Aboh but thought it was from yahoo-yahoo boys

I have actually responded to a similar thread on the Banking industry in Nigeria and I also find this meaningful.The poster I see is touched at the seeming deterioration of our banking sector, but alas not only is Oceanic and the other four banks mentioned in a cataclysmic end, I forsee a judder which will characterize a big upturn within this industry and penultimately a sighing crescendo.
Banks recruiting dullards who cannot write  simple correct sentences,
Banks who do not have a balance and check system,
Banks who do not know what is at stake,
Banks whose workers don't know why they are there,
Banks who do not operate good management portfolios,
Banks whose stakeholders are not put in the know,
I mean name it, its a negative on our banks,,
The problem here is bad management, very bad recruitment technique(its who you know not what you know)
Funny policies,
One man cannot at the end of the day put these banks on track,I mean if 50 percent of management staff are worthless or 80 percent of the front of house staff are stupid, where is the existence of a bank??

Bankers and advertisement,,,,,na waaah

@ Agent MS

While i will agree that we are all entitled to our opinion on any issue, i want to say that i disagree with you and some points raised concerning the inner working of Oceanic Bank. For the benefit of doubt , i will like to state here firmly that i am neither a staff of Oceanic Bank nor a staff of any bank in Nigeria, i have never worked for any bank as a staff but i am a consultant in the area if IT to almost all the banks in Nigeria.

I will like to take an exception to the issue you raised about indiscipline amongst the staff of Oceanic with particular reference to thier lackadasical attitude to work and being irresponsible. I happened to work with quite a handful of them during the implementation of a particular solution and i was amazed at the level of thier work rate, they showed very high level of commitment and dedication contrary to what u said, but like i said earlier we are all entiltled to our opinion and perception. It was at oceanic bank that i learnt that as a consultant you must resume with them at 7:30am and at every stage of the project, they were very meticulous and objective.

While i will not absolve the executive management of the bank from the gross mismagement of the shareholders & depositors funds which is prevalent in all the banks except for a few of them that still exhibit some level of ethical practice like FCMB, GTBank, Sterling , i take exceptions to the  fact that the entire workforce of Oceanic bank are inept and inefficient.

On the other issue of the marketer not knowing anything, that point cut across all the banks, i have had the opportunity of working on many projects with the banks and i most tell you that Oceanic bank still fair better in that aspect, I wonder if the writer have ever had any interaction with staff of UBA, Unity bank (which i called glorified MFB), Finbank. I really believe in introduction of OND holders inthe banking industry which was started by the then Standard Trust Bank (now UBA) contributed immensely to the menace in the industry as regards customer service and banking ethics. All the banks are equally guilty of this.

If CBN extends its scrutiny to adherence to the policy of good corporate governance , then you will really see how messy the banking industry has become. I doubt if all the so-called "Bank of the Year" , "Best African Bank" "Most Improved bank of the Year" awards recipient will survive.

God save our dear nation!!!

@Poster

That is such load of bull crap, it is easy to kick a sleeping horse. These are the same set of people praising oceanic bank and co for getting one award or the other. If oceanic is so bad what would you say about intercontinental?? Your claim about their staff is not unique to oceanic, it is industry-wide even in the so-called FBN or GTB. Most bank workers are bunch of airheads, they act like person who has never seen money b/4.

This is only a reflection of society, many people lack courtesy and are not firm in taking right decisions.

@Poster
I doubt if the entirety of Oceanic bank staff is as bad as projected. However - most of the other banks you mentioned have similar issues, i think it's a bankwide thing and it's a reflection of the society at large. I feel your passion for the bank and i hope and pray everything works out fine.

Well well well!

its no an issue of recruitment but lack of training on the bank as per banking principles.

Most Nigerian Financial institution lack these, they even lack customer relationship too.

If customer shout for CSU, u go see CSU dey frown for everybody including people wey no even

know why she dey frown.

Guyz its all about following a laid down principle, that is why I have made up my mind!

I WILL RATHER BANK WITH GTB ANYDAY

Therefore i ask y'all, wouldn't you rather bank with GTB or Zenith?

Na only them be proper banks for Nigeria o.

Seriously I love GTB and Zenith only.

I've always dread going into any oceanic bank.
Always like a war zone until I found one in Opebi link in Ikeja that is not always congested.

PERCEPTION is the word. Oceanic bank that you are Demarketing is what some other are seriously praising.

@ Poster : i quite disagree with you on most of the issues raised, but when it comes to marketing all banks are guilty because there " songs of praise" after every meetings is deposit mobilization so the management dont care how or where the marketers gets the money from.

[b]For the marketers, most of the marketers are deposit canvassers. You cannot have a concrete discussion on basics of banking with some them, talkless of having concrete discussions on global happenings. As the 21st century relationship officers, your knowledge base is what can seperate you from the marketers of other banks. Most times, the marketers give loans to all sort of people -- politician, traders, small scale entreprises -- under different nomenclatures such as discretionary lending and go to sleep. Why wont such loans go bad. If they are aware of the penalty (as obtainable in other banks) that awaits them if these loans go bad, they will ensure that the repayment of such loans are assured. That is why i said people dont take responsbilities for their actions because there is no penalty. The excuse is always, they need to give those loans, so as to secure deposits.


For your info-its let alone not talkless

the fact that you had an encounter with few ocaenic bank workers dosent mean you should debase them all, i have aunties working in Kano branch and they are well learned and cultured.

@ OP

It's instructive that you assumed a new user name just to post this,why the camouflage

If this is what had been going on in this said bank like you have rightly said, it deserves widely publication in newspapers to serve as a lesson to the new management of oceanic bank

If we want to be sincere with ourselves not adding sentiments,oceanic bank is exactly what the poster said about them.
Bad customer service (They are rude)
Bad spoken English
Bad manners (A lot of their cashiers chew gum in a very disgusting manner while on duty)
If i continue i'll count ten but let me stop there
@ Poster i concur

Now, we can all see the ills that have prevented the Nigerian State from always progressing?
After the poster learnedly, and i must add, passionately informed us of the ills he has seen inside the system he works for, the mail trail afterwards has been a pointless rabble about the necessity or irrelevance of nothingness!

Please i suggest henceforth we CONSTRUCTIVELY debate on this issue. It is one that portends very grave consequences for the present future and later ones.

I feel for u poster, The new Oceanic Bank top management had better looked into this and set things straight, If need be send all your staff for training, or hire consultants to come train them,

Hmmmmm!

I think the woman is very honest and sincere. But somehow she couldnt sustain that brutality every leader should have that can make you say no and move on no matter what they think or maybe age is telling on her.

Whatever, I like that woman and do pray for her though i have moved my funds to gtb

@POSTER
Nice and sincere piece, i hope and pray the staff see these criticisms from the half full side and learn. Its high time they change, majority of their staff have attitude problem and have no style although there are exceptions. I have met some very nice and courteous staff of the same organization.
@FINECAT
What do you mean by bankers are bunch of airheads? Try and give some respect to the profession!

Poster tell us where u are working now, am very sure u were booted out of Oceanic bank for non-perfomance, Mrs Ibru was humane and a mother at heart she gave her staff the best welfare package in the industry, dats why everyone wanted to work in Oceanic bank the staff are disciplined and focused. Oceanic is undergoing change and change they say is the only constant thing in life Oceanic wil bounce back to take it's place in the industry, when the powers dat be are done with their dirty politics and i bet u would run back to the fingers u are presently biting.

the discussions n critical analysis of Oceanic Bank Intl is a clear indication that the bank is a top class institution in the Nigerian banking industry. we r all suprised about wat happened to oceanic. it is important to know that all that happened is political. why didnt sanusi wait for all the banks to be audited for changing the management of the five banks? why the hurry? sanusi handled the matter in the most unprofessional manner, why make the public panic for nothing, ? why the counter announcements on the tv stations that the banks are safe and strong? is he not pursuin a northern agenda? staff of First bank(where sanusi came from) where rejoicing over the proclamation of the CBN governor that yes First Bank has now regained their 1st position in nija because is only oceanic founded a little over 20yrs ago that has competed stiffly with 1st bank. wat a shame to nija. it is most unethical!!!

It is a statement of fact that Dr Mrs Ibru is the amazon of the banking industry and has contributed SIGNIFICANTLY to building a stronger nija. u cannot beat that! Lets us all be objective in our reasoning and postings pls.

Like i expected, some staff will rush to their keyboard to call me names. I do not have any problem with that. Make your personal research before rushing to type your response.

Be sincere with youself. I know the system too much for you to come here and be disproving what is clearly visible. Accept it in your heart and be a change agent and ensure that people in unit, dept, and branch change for good. This is how we can build a better and strong organisation. We should not see medicocrity as performance. Raise the bar and set new standards in how you do your work and the organisation will flourish once again and everyone will experience this again.

I never called Mrs Ibru names, i only stated the impact of her excessive softness on the organisation. Most of the things highlighted we never go unpunished in other great organisations.

I am not demarketing Oceanic Bank in any way. I would have loved to do this through whistle blowing but unfortunately nonne exist on Oceanic website. This will make the management to see and understand the state of things. It is bank and it will always be.

Thank you.

Wow!The poster couldnt have been more spot on.I have never worked in Oceanic Bank but always wanted to .Wrote test there as a corper but was dropped in the interview stage .Believe me those in HR didnt know what they were doing.Not because i was dropped but cos almost all accountants and banking and finance graduates were dropped and those that read french,geography,sciences the other non banking related courses were absorbed without any questioning.This was three years ago.I work for one of the best banks in the industry and i cant help but agree with the poster due to my close rapport with oceanic bank staff.Some folks in the head office dont resume until 10am and once it is 5pm they are the first to leave.Just lazing around and doing nothing.

Mrs Ibru has truely worked hard and is a great marketer and has done a lot to grow her bank but laggards have wrecked all her efforts.Yes their staff welfare is one of the best in the industry and i do hope they bounce back.

To hell with all PDPs, they just wanna ruin this country,they want to turn banking and everything into huasa thing.
lamido will soon up end up like up el-rufai and ribadu.
Mark my words.
As for that sick and kidney-less president of ours(no vision+mission), i'll wait to see wat really becomes of him.
he shuld be the 1st one to be sacked in this country.
u cant be enemy with water and survive, oceanic bank will bounce back BIG TIME!!!
ANybody can say anything they like, this whole problem is not about the banks alone , it's a general problem in nigeria.
1. Sack yar'foolish
2. arrest obasanjo, babangida, ibori, and a whole lotta them
Infact PDP as a party should sieze to exist as a party or as an acronym in this country, thy gat nuffin to offer this country.
fcuck it

[b]I used to love Nairaland. But the way things are going, 'o ti wa gba ole, o ti gba ole'. Meaning Nairaland is fast becoming a place for lay-abouts and never-do-wells.

Oceanic Bank gave me a job and i have been most grateful to God for this. I make mistakes, but Oceanic Bank gives me a ground to fall on. I get chastised for the mistakes i commit or omit but i dont get slaughtered like most carnal banals would prefer.

I wouldnt blame haters though. I probably would do same if i was in dude's shoes. We're proud of our processes. I feel proud when i see the cabinet containing Pay Advance Salary Scheme (PASS) for teachers and the likes for my branch.

Oluwaseun Osewa, I love your innovation called nairaland but do a research about the status of most people visiting your site so we can give credibility to words spoken here.I wouldnt like to get emotional to the point i'll get my mind pouring out.

'Officer, officer, why write these much epistle just to see an Oceanic Big boy ridiculed sir? Has it now become a crime they way we're flossing sir  ??!!!!!' Cut my salary in half, lay me off, arrest all staff, i will still be heavenly grateful for the founding Fathers and Mothers of Oceanic Bank. My theme song for all you haters is Hate me now by Puff Daddy and Nasty Nas.

This time too shall pass. [/b]

Thank you for your time, it really shows that you care.