Gracy, a 31-year-old content material strategist, has labored at a Lagos-based communications company for 5 years. She started managing the model’s weblog and writing press releases. Today, she leads marketing campaign improvement, oversees interns, and handles consumer communications.
Her workload has greater than tripled since 2020. Her wage hasn’t.
She raised the difficulty of a elevate with HR in early 2022. “They said they would get back to me,” she remembers. “That didn’t happen. When I followed up during my appraisal, they said they were still reviewing budgets.”
Two years on, her pay stays unchanged—at the same time as the corporate moved into new places of work, employed extra workers, and despatched three senior colleagues to a convention in Dubai.
“I’m not asking for magic,” Gracy says. “Just a raise that reflects how much I now do.”
Her story isn’t distinctive. Across Nigerian workplaces, wage stagnation is normalized—even when productiveness will increase.
The Normalised Stagnation
Across sectors—from tech to banking, schooling to hospitality—the story is identical. Promotions come with out {financial} reward. Responsibilities enhance. Bank alerts don’t.
A 2023 Jobberman report revealed that solely 24% of Nigerian employees obtained any wage enhance up to now three years, regardless of inflation averaging over 18%.
One former HR supervisor at an actual property agency stated their pandemic-era wage freeze was by no means formally lifted. “Management just carried on as though nothing happened. Even losing key staff didn’t change anything.”
The common excuse? “The economy is tough,” “We’re cutting costs,” or “We’re still recovering.” But whereas salaries stay caught, corporations rebrand, host occasions, and provide new hires increased pay.
So why are long-term workers left behind?
HR’s Silent Role
Human Resources professionals say their palms are sometimes tied. Though conscious of workers frustration, they lack the ability to drive change.
“We recommended a salary upgrade for three team members last year,” says an HR officer at a Lagos retail agency. “The MD asked, ‘Do you want us to go bankrupt?’ That same week, the company signed a ₦15 million PR deal.”
Another HR govt at a mid-sized {financial} companies agency admits: “Our role is viewed more as enforcing compliance than supporting workers. Salary concerns are noted—but rarely addressed.”
This dynamic has eroded worker belief in HR. “They don’t advocate for us,” one workers member stated. “They just document complaints and move on.”
What Workers Are Saying
Many employees say the shortage of a elevate seems like being undervalued.
Olamide, 28, joined a fintech startup three years in the past. She’s now a staff lead—however nonetheless on entry-level pay. “They keep saying, ‘We’ll review next quarter.’ But nothing happens. I’ve stopped asking.”
Precious, a enterprise improvement officer, was made regional lead after his boss resigned. He took on journey and further workload, but obtained no {financial} adjustment. “Just a thank-you email.”
Others like Ifeoma, a senior nurse in Enugu, say wage stagnation is very painful in service roles. “Even with all the long shifts and COVID exposure, our pay hasn’t changed since 2019.”
Damilola, a non-public college trainer in Surulere, places it plainly: “Rent has gone up. Food has gone up. Fuel has gone up. My salary is stuck. What am I supposed to do?”
Fear of Asking
Even when employees wish to demand a elevate, worry holds them again.
Some fear about being seen as grasping or disloyal. Others worry retaliation.
In some corporations, wage conversations are taboo. One Lagos supervisor stated, “I brought it up at an appraisal, and my boss said, ‘This is not the time for that talk.’ That was the end.”
A journalist in Ibadan stated her senior colleague warned that asking too early may harm her picture. “That scared me into silence. I’ve been on the same salary for over two years.”
The worry is commonly worse for girls. Many say they really feel strain to “manage” or seem grateful—particularly when male colleagues are extra aggressive about negotiating.
What Employers Say
Some employers cite powerful {economic} circumstances. But employees level out a contradiction: new hires usually earn greater than outdated workers.
“There’s this myth that the company is broke,” stated one Lagos worker. “But if I resign today, they’ll try to match an offer from another company.”
An HR guide, Emmanuel Ibe, provides perception: “Most Nigerian firms lack a formal salary review structure. There’s no scheduled review cycle, no performance-linked bonus plan, no inflation adjustment.”
Raises are sometimes primarily based on who complains loudest, who’s preferred most—or who threatens to go away.
“That creates an environment of silence, confusion, and inequality,” Ibe says.
The Fallout
The penalties of stagnant pay are actual.
Workers take facet gigs to outlive. Motivation drops. Job-hopping will increase—not out of entitlement, however frustration.
Companies blame “Gen Z attitudes” or “a lack of commitment,” however the fact is deeper: individuals are uninterested in being taken without any consideration.
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“I used to go above and beyond,” says Cindy, who left a advertising and marketing agency for a nonprofit. “Now I just do what I’m paid for.”
The Way Forward
Workers aren’t asking for miracles. They’re asking for equity.
Gracy places it merely: “We have families relying on us. The company should show that it values our effort.”
Some staff recommend alternate options in lean instances:
Transport allowance
Paid web
Flexible work schedules
Free meals
Health assist packages
Even small gestures can go a good distance.
HR departments should cease performing like paper-pushers and begin advocating. Employers should create formal methods: annual opinions, inflation-based wage changes, and transparency in pay buildings.
Otherwise, corporations will maintain shedding expertise—and those who keep will do the naked minimal.
A Raise Is Not Just Income—It’s Recognition
Salary isn’t nearly cash. It’s about being seen. Being appreciated. Being informed: You matter right here.
Without that recognition, even probably the most loyal worker will ultimately stroll away.
