LAPO Microfinance Bank workers are pushing back against what they describe as “compulsory weekend and public holiday work” with no extra pay or rest days to make up for it.
In a petition submitted to authorities on August 25, 2026, the workers asked the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to look into the bank’s scheduling practices and confirm if they align with Nigeria’s labour laws.
The workers said the problem began with a memo dated August 20 directing all branch, area and zonal staff to treat Saturdays as work days for loan recovery until further notice.
According to the memo in circulation, the management stated: “Every Saturday will be treated as a full-fledged working day dedicated to loan recovery, until further notice.” It added:
“This directive applies to EVERYONE, all Branch staff, Area staff, and Zonal staff. Every staff must participate. There will be no exceptions.” Staff said the instruction came amid rising defaults and pressure to recover “All 2026 NPL,” with threats of sanctions for non-compliance.
“Failure to comply with this directive, refusal to participate, deliberate non-compliance, deterrence, or any act of insubordination will be treated as a sanctionable offence,” the memo warned.
The complaint also cited another internal message that turned a public holiday into a normal workday.
“Tomorrow will be treated as a full working day, and all colleagues are expected to report to the office,” the notice read. Another directive asked workers to resume “on or before 8am” and close at 5pm, stressing: “All staff MUST be in attendance.”
Workers argue that the back-to-back Saturday and holiday duties are cutting into their weekly rest and work-life balance.
They want the Labour Ministry to assess whether the hours amount to overtime should be compensated, and whether the bank is meeting its obligations on rest periods, contracts and national labour standards.
