Shepherdhill Security Limited, an international security company, has been paying N10,000 monthly wages to permanent staff it hired to secure an internet mast in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in violation of the National Minimum Wage Act.

The 2019 version of the Act mandated companies with more than 25 full-time workers to pay at least N30,000 to the least paid worker, while the updated 2024 version mandates such companies to pay a minimum of N70,000.

This company, a subsidiary of Shepherdhill Group, prides itself in providing security services to clients around the world, and has offices in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan and the UK. It has over 25 members of staff in its employ.

Sometime in 2022, the company recruited the services of these two men to secure this mast for ATC Nigeria.

Both men lived within the premises the mast was situated, and began looking over the property every day of the week. Shepherdhill disagrees with this position. The company says they hired the men to work informally and guard the place few days in a week.

”We don’t have any other job. We stay here everyday and only watch over this mast as security guards,” the men told EQ on condition of anonymity.

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On June 29, one of the guards who identifies himself simply as Steve wrote to ATC Nigeria’s Human Resources department, complaining about the poor remuneration Shepherdhill was paying.

Steve described the payments as “not only unjust, appalling but also grossly inadequate to sustain a decent standard of living”.

Steve’s letter to ATC

ATC hired Shepherdhill and the company recruited Steve. This guard did not have any contract with ATC.

Meanwhile, the security firm argues they have no contract with Steve.

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”They don’t have uniforms, we didn’t give them contracts of engagement,” a representative of Shepherdhill told EQ during a telephone interview on Friday.

“They are just people in the neighbourhood we asked to look after it.”

Steve showed EQ a transaction receipt for the salary the company paid him on August 4, 2024. The payment description read “Mthly salary”. Also, the remarks read “Ibadan July 2024 guards wages from Shepherdhill Security Ltd”.

Steve’s July salary

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EQ called the company’s official phone number on Wednesday and Friday. On both occasions, different persons responded and only one gave a first name.

Michael at Shepherdhill spoke with EQ on Friday. He said, “The people you called security men are not permanently assigned to stay on site. By virtue of closeness to site, they are being mobilised to keep an eye on the site. There is no official engagement, there is no formal communication that they have the position of a guard. We don’t have offer letters for them.”

When EQ asked if they can walk away from the job at will since there was no contract between the company and the staff, Michael responded saying, “No, there is an understanding. There is no contract, but we have a verbal understanding. A company hired us to bring in security to protect that mast, and the security report directly to us.”

Despite Michael’s claim that the men were not contracted to the company as guards, their salary remarks refer to them as guards.

Festus Ogun, a lawyer, told EQ that Employer-Employee agreements “can be established even without contracts. When there is no contract, it can be implied. Have they been receiving salaries? How have they been receiving salaries? Who pays them the salaries?

”Contracts need not be written, they can be oral, and that can be adequately proven in court. The mere fact that there was no express contract does not preclude those employed to challenge any unfair labour practice.”

While Steve and his partner demand for better wages, they say Shepherdhill last paid them in August and has not paid them ever since.
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