The attention of Nigerian lawmakers is tilting towards checkmating the practice of unrealistic targets on bank employees, especially marketers.
The lawmakers have however, mandated its committee on Banking and Currency to investigate the unwholesome practices with a view to bringing it to an end and report to the House within one month for further legislative inputs.
This resolution by the House followed a motion titled “urgent need to curb unwholesome practises of banks in Nigeria,” sponsored by Hon. Segun Adekola.
Leading debate on the motion, Hon. Adekola said, “a critical assessment of the targets being given to these employees to meet show unrealistic, unreasonable, ordinarily unattainable and irrational.”
He said: “The banks resort to unethical means to ensure that the targets are met by either explicitly or impliedly encouraging their staff, especially the female one, to engage in illicit behaviour to attract the deposits.”
Adekola noted that these commercial banks do not provide adequate welfare packages, but however described the acts as enslavement.
“This trend is an outright breach of the dignity of the human person and of labour, negates the concepts of the decent work agenda of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which Nigeria is a member,” he said.
Also contributing to the motion, the House Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said that as a result of these unrealistic targets homes have been broken and destroyed adding that of recent young men have become victims of richer women.
“I don’t think, you will want your daughter to go out knocking on door and soliciting for funds, “Gbajabiamila said.
Exactly a year ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a warning to commercial banks on this matter, according to CBN; “We cannot continue like this. It is against international best practice. Promotion or hiring should not be based on raising money to banks through any means. There has to be standard. That is the only way we can restore sanity to the system”.
However after the knock from the CBN November 2014, the unwholesome practice continued unabated. It is yet to be seen if the move by our lawmakers can positively impact a change to the system.