Benue State University, Makurdi

Toxic Messages from Digital Lenders: Effects on an Employee’s Contract of Employment

Jane-Frances Terdoo Yagba*

Abstract

Digital lending firms are existent in Nigeria. The firms provide financial services through digital platforms by giving loans in an easy and fast way. The debt recovery strategies adopted by some of the firms include sending toxic and shameful messages to the personal contacts of the defaulters. The doctrinal method of research was adopted in this work to examine the effects of the unethical debt collection strategies on an employees’ contract of employment. It was found that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to privacy. However, there is no law regulating an employer’s decision making with regards to an employee’s off duty conduct in Nigeria. Also, employers occupy an advantageous position over employees relating to dismissal of an employee on grounds of scandalous messages from a digital lender’s firm and employees with meagre wages may be unable to seek redress in the National Industrial Court of Nigeria due to cost of litigation. It has been recommended that a law should be enacted to regulate an employer’s decision making based on an employee’s off duty conduct. Second, an administrative board should be established to handle issues such as dismissals administratively without cost. The decisions should be entered as judgement by the NICN and the appeals of the board’s decision should lie to the NICN.

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