Following outrage by Nigerians, a commercial bank, Polaris Bank, has said that one of its supervising staff, Damilola Adebara, who wrote a memo banning workers from going out to attend Friday prayers acted on ignorance.
Pressroom-online reports that in a leaked email to staffers, Ms Adebara banned staff from attending the Jumu’at prayer, stressing that whoever flouts the ban would be dealt with accordingly.
According to her, the bank does not have a policy that allows any employee to go for religious activities during work hours.
The screenshot of the leaked email read: “Dear All, it has been observed that on Fridays, you leave your work desks to attend the Jumat service, bearing in mind the impact of your absence on the workflow and productivity of Yes Center.”
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“Kindly note that there is no provision made anywhere in the Bank’s policy for employees to attend any religious activities during work hours.
“Going forward such permissions would not be granted on the Yes Center platform and any infraction of this directive would be dealt with accordingly. You are all expected to acknowledge the receipt of this mail. Thank you.”
Reacting to the backlash from many Nigerians, the bank issued a statement, distancing itself from the stance of the supervisor.
In a statement signed on Thursday, the bank’s management said Ms Adebara acted in ignorance as the bank does not have any policy that forbids people from practicing their religion.
While noting that Nigeria is a secular state, the bank management said the supervisor’s action does not reflect the corporate identity of the Bank.
“The attention of the Bank has been drawn to a shared screenshot of mail sent by a supervisor to staff in her department in respect of Friday prayers.”
“This is to clarify that Nigeria is a secular nation and our Bank is guided by this standard.
“Accordingly, there is no policy in the Bank that forbids staff from practicing the religion of their choice; hence the said staff had acted in ignorance and we have since addressed the issue internally.”
“We assure all staff, customers, and the public that we will continue to respect the fundamental rights and freedom of worship of every employee,” the bank said.
