*Justice Zaynab Bashir of the Port-Harcourt Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court orders the United Bank for Africa Plc to pay certain Patrick N8,250,000.00, as bonus for the two times the former staff emerged as a 鈥榬ole model鈥� in the bank鈥檚 appraisal reports, and N2,250,000.00 for being outstanding in the financial institution鈥檚 appraisal reports, and N2,000,000.00 as general damages for wrongful employment termination within 30 days

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Hon. Justice Zaynab Bashir of the Port-Harcourt Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court (NIC) has declared the termination of Mr. Patrick鈥檚 employment from the service of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, via a letter of termination dated the 22nd of January, 2014, as wrongful.

The Court, in a report on the ruling released Wednesday, January 29, 2025, on the NIC Web site, declared that the termination of Mr. Patrick’s employment with the United Bank for Africa was in breach of the contract of employment between the parties.

Justice Zaynab also ordered the United Bank for Africa to pay Mr. Patrick the sum of N8,250,000.00 (Eight million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) only, being the amount of bonus for the two times Mr. Patrick emerged as a role model in the Bank鈥檚 appraisal reports and the sum of N2,250,000.00 only for the one time Mr. Patrick emerged outstanding in the Bank鈥檚 appraisal reports with the sum of N2,000,000.00 (two million naira) general damages for wrongful employment termination within 30 days.

The court further noted that based on facts, the claimant- Mr. Patrick had submitted that he was employed by the United Bank for Africa as a Senior Banking Officer on August 7, 2008, and his employment with the bank expressly provided for extra payments called performance-induced pay for staff based on performance appraisal but was not paid prior to and after the termination of his employment on the 22nd of January, 2014.

According to NIC, Mr. Patrick averred further that the United Bank for Africa also failed to pay him half salary for November and December 2013 and his full salary for January 2014.

The report also noted that in defence, the Defendant- United Bank for Africa maintained that Mr. Patrick’s services were no longer required, and it was terminated with his terminal benefits duly paid.

Counsel also argued that Mr. Patrick failed to establish or prove that the non-release of the Disciplinary Committee鈥檚 report subjected him to inhuman treatment, untold discomfort, emotional and psychological trauma or unlawful interference with his client鈥檚 employment, and urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost.

In opposition, Mr. Patrick’s Counsel, B.C. Ugwu with S.E Nworie posited that the employment termination of their client on the ground of 鈥渟ervice no longer required鈥� is not one of the circumstances or offences listed in the UBA鈥檚 Disciplinary Process and Sanctions Policy.

Ugwu contended that the said termination also flagrantly violated the length of notice stipulated in the letter of employment which requires the Bank to give Mr. Patrick one-month notice of termination or one-month salary in lieu of notice.

The Presiding Judge, in her judgement, held that the failure of the United Bank for Africa to pay the said sum contemporaneously, with the termination makes it wrongful because the position of the law is that salary in lieu of notice must be paid at the time of the termination.

The court declared the failure of the United Bank for Africa to give notice of termination to Mr. Patrick and failure to pay Mr. Patrick’s salary in lieu of notice at the time of termination as wrongful.

On Mr. Patrick’s N75 million damages claim, Justice Zaynab stated that Mr. Patrick failed to establish how the refusal to furnish him with the report of the disciplinary committee of the bank subjected him to inhumane treatment and amounts to unlawful interference with the claimant鈥檚 employment.