- A female office worker was among 11 staff members asked to contribute N20,000 each to support a security guard whose wife just gave birth
- The lady suggested reducing the contribution to N5,000, citing personal expenses for the month
- Colleagues online pointed out that the same N20,000 standard had been applied when the office contributed towards her own appendix operation
A Nigerian office worker has sparked debate online after she proposed cutting the standard staff contribution for a security guard’s newborn, despite having benefited from the same gesture herself.
The story was shared on X by a colleague, @Olami_deeEbony who recounted the events after their HR department announced plans to support the security guard whose wife had recently given birth.
Source: Getty Images
Office tradition puts lady on the spot
According to @Olami_deeEbony, the office operates a culture where all 11 staff members pool N20,000 each whenever a colleague marks a major life event such as a wedding or the birth of a child. Rather than wait for the baby dedication, HR decided to act immediately, with the company covering the total upfront and deducting each person’s share of N20,000 from their end-of-month salary.
The plan was straightforward: the full collection of N220,000 would go towards the security guard’s household, with N20,000 set aside to buy nappies and the remaining N200,000 transferred directly to his account.
However, a member of the accounting team objected to the arrangement.
“Why should we contribute ₦20,000 for a common gateman? He doesn’t even earn up to that amount as salary. I have a lot of expenses this month. Let’s just do ₦5,000 each,” she said.
Colleagues reminded her of her own operation
What made the suggestion particularly striking to her colleagues was the context. The same woman who was now pushing for a reduced contribution had recently undergone an appendix operation, during which the same office tradition had applied. Each member of staff had contributed the standard N20,000 towards her medical expenses.
The contrast was not lost on those who heard about the story online, where @Olami_deeEbony’s post drew significant attention and prompted widespread conversation about workplace solidarity and double standards.
The full story shared online can be read below.
Nigerians donate to UNILAG student
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that Nigerians donated hundreds of thousands of naira to a final-year University of Lagos student whose laptop was stolen while she was working on her project.
The crowdfunding effort quickly surpassed the cost of replacing the laptop after an anonymous donor and other well-wishers contributed to support her.
Source: Legit.ng