A storm is brewing within the United Bank for Africa (UBA) following serious allegations from contract staff at the bank’s Customer Fulfilment Center (CFC), who claim they are being subjected to harassment, bullying, and unethical treatment by their supervisors.
The complaints were outlined in a strongly worded email sent on March 28 under the pseudonym “Flourish Adeleke,” and addressed to UBA Chairman Tony Elumelu. The message, which was also copied to senior management figures, painted a grim picture of employee welfare and internal operations at the CFC. However, the move reportedly triggered a swift and punitive reaction from management.
According to insiders, at least 10 staff members suspected of being connected to the anonymous complaint had their access to work servers revoked shortly after the email was sent.
FIJ obtained a copy of the email, titled: “Lack of Acknowledgement and Employee Welfare, Maltreatment and Bullying of Staff, Unsafe Working Conditions & Threat to Life, Unfair & Arbitrary Punishments, Unrealistic Targets and Excessive Workload, Verbal Abuse, and Hostile Leadership.”
In the correspondence, contract employees accused Uzoamaka Onyeka, Head of UBA CFC, and Oluchi Akaeme, Manager of the CFC Unbound Unit, of fostering a toxic work environment.
“Despite being contract staff, we believe we are entitled to dignity and respect,” the email reads. “Unfortunately, the leadership at CFC operates with blatant disregard for these values, routinely engaging in intimidation and threats.”
The writers claimed that under the direction of Onyeka and Akaeme, the workplace had become hostile and fear-driven. Oluchi was identified as the main aggressor, allegedly threatening employees with retaliation, often making ominous remarks such as “you’ve seen nothing yet,” and openly expressing personal disdain for certain staff members. Uzo, meanwhile, was accused of using demeaning language, referring to staff as “goats” and asserting that they would be treated accordingly.
In a follow-up message sent on Friday, the whistleblowers detailed further instances of humiliation. They alleged that employees with declining performance metrics were publicly shamed their photographs posted with labels such as “Fatal King,” “Fatal Queen,” and “King/Queen of Escalations.”
One of the most disturbing allegations involved the forced surrender of mobile phones. Staff reported that on a particular Saturday, Oluchi and Uzo ordered everyone to hand over their phones, which were then locked away for the entire weekend. The managers left the office, even though they were not scheduled to work, and failed to communicate any reason for the action. Phones were only returned the following Monday, with some employees forced to report to the office on their days off to retrieve them.
Staff also claimed that Enoch, a security officer, frequently conducted intrusive nighttime checks and would eject employees from the premises — even in the middle of the night — citing unauthorized presence.
The email was reportedly sent to several high-ranking individuals, including UBA’s Group Managing Director Oliver Alawuba, as well as external auditors KPMG and PwC.
On April 4, FIJ reached out to UBA spokesperson Ramon Nasir for a comment. In an initial response, Nasir said he was reviewing the matter. A day later, he reiterated the same position, adding in a phone interview that while the allegations were being investigated, some staff were not meeting expected work standards.
Some of these people do not want to work,” he said. “They barely work for two hours and spend the rest of the day loitering. We installed CCTV cameras and discovered some even defecate on the floor, wear slippers to work, and exhibit highly unprofessional behavior.”
Later that day, Oyebanji Aloba, a representative of UBA’s investigation unit, responded for the first time to the anonymous email. He requested more specific details, including the name of the security officer mentioned.
By Saturday, internal sources confirmed that the bank had stepped up security measures at the CFC. Access to the building was restricted, and security personnel were instructed to allow only pre-approved staff to enter. At least 10 employees, many of whom had been with the company for over a year were denied access, reportedly because management suspects them of authoring the whistleblower complaint.
According to the contract, termination would occur for probationary staff only after the company had issued them a two-week notice or two weeks worth of salary. For confirmed staff, it was one month.
The management is yet to confirm if these staff members have been fired, but they no longer had access to the company at press time.
