In search of N25 billion
SIR : A week ago, a very dear friend of mine called to unburden herself of the stress of the day's work at the bank where she is employed. This routine is not unusual between us; only on this particular day she was crying and quite profusely too.
My friend is a 32-year old single mother of two beautiful little children. She depends on her salary for her family's upkeep, so her job is very important to her. On this day, she received a shocking letter from the bank's management saying, among other things, that she had a few weeks to sell the bank's share to the tune of about N35 million. It said further that if the target was not met, she would be regarded as not having contributed to the bank's growth.
At some point during the day, at a staff meeting, the bank's management told the staff that it did not make sense for some people to go out 'marketing' the bank, sometimes having to compromise themselves to get placements and investments, while some people who do not want to expose themselves sit in the office being good girls and at the end of the month, they get paid with the money invested in the bank as a result of the marketing of the 'bad girls'.
According to management, this was going to end, every worker was going to have to prove their worth, and anyone who was found not to add value to the bank's capital base was going to be shown the way out. The bank was in a fight for its survival.
I had to tell my friend that as sad as it may sound, her employers seem quite correct. The harsh reality is that she is not generating any income for the bank. The bank is relying on income, and thanks to the N25 billion capital base requirement, will be relying on people buying its shares for its existence. The options open to her now are to get that money any way she can so she can stay on in the bank, or she will have to look for employment somewhere else.
I do not know how the CBN Governor intended for the N25 billion capital base to be achieved, but I am certain he did expect our women to go about compromising their integrity, selling their bodies and de-emphasising the usefulness of their brains just to keep a bank afloat. The whole thing is a big shame. Banking as a profession has been reduced to who knows which big man, and who can get bigger deposits, placements and lately shareholders.
The saying 'the end justifies the means' may be true but not in this case. By the time these girls get all this money, they will not have any self-respect. At that point the question becomes was it worth it? Without doubt, the answer will be No!
I know Soludo is trying to sanitise the banking sector, but there must be sane ways of achieving this. Bank work may pay very well but it is not a do or die affair, people need to make choices based on their personal circumstances and there are universally accepted lines which must not be be crossed in the pursuit of money.
At times like these, I expect women's organisations to be alive to their responsibilities by condemning these pressures which women are put under. The moral fabric of this country is wearing so thin, my heart hurts for her future; especially because the underlying factor here is financial prosperity. We really need to think about all these things and the impact they are having on us as a country.
M.K. Enenche,
e-mail: [email protected]
