Reports of a mass termination of contract staff at First Bank of Nigeria have triggered widespread reactions on social media after several individuals claimed they were abruptly dismissed after years of service.
Multiple posts circulating on the social media platform X allege that hundreds of non-core staff working at various branches of the bank across Nigeria were laid off last Friday.
According to one user, identified as OMOLUABI (@oluwakso), many contract workers had spent between five and 10 years with the bank while hoping to eventually secure permanent employment.
In a thread describing the alleged incident, the user claimed that some branches recently received new workers who were introduced as recruits.
Existing contract staff were reportedly asked by their managers to train the new arrivals on routine banking operations such as checking account balances, posting transactions, opening accounts and navigating internal systems.
The user alleged that many of the workers later discovered that they had unknowingly trained their replacements.
Several posts further claimed that the affected staff arrived at work on the day of the alleged layoffs only to discover that they could no longer log into the bank’s system.
Many initially believed the problem was due to a network issue and reportedly contacted IT support. However, some IT personnel were also said to have lost system access.
Shortly afterward, affected First Bank workers allegedly began receiving text messages informing them that their services were no longer required.
The claims have sparked a wave of responses from users online, with some individuals sharing similar experiences of long-term contract employment within the banking sector.
Some users alleged that the affected workers were part of a category commonly referred to as “non-core staff,” typically employed on renewable one-year contracts to perform roles in customer service, operations support and other administrative functions.
Under such arrangements, contracts are often renewed annually, while workers are expected to pass internal examinations and meet performance targets to qualify for conversion to permanent staff.
However, several commenters claimed that some contract employees had remained on temporary status for years without securing full employment.
As of the time of filing this report, First Bank of Nigeria had not issued an official statement confirming the alleged layoffs or responding to the claims circulating online.
The development has renewed discussions about the widespread use of contract staffing arrangements within Nigeria’s banking industry and the challenges faced by workers seeking permanent roles.