Introduction: The Hidden Struggles of the Everyday Nigerian Worker

Anyone with a job in Calabar or anywhere in Nigeria knows the story all too well: you work long hours, sometimes beyond the official closing time, do more than your job description demands, yet your pay barely covers your basic needs. The feeling of being overused, underpaid, and undervalued is not just anecdotal—it’s the reality for many Nigerian workers today.

Why Does This Happen? A Fresh Look Beyond the Usual Complaints

We’ve all heard complaints about low salaries and bad working conditions, but what fuels this persistent problem? Here are some angles not often highlighted:

• Systemic Underappreciation of “Soft” Contributions: In many workplaces, especially government offices and small-medium enterprises in Calabar, only tangible outputs like monthly report numbers or completed transactions get recognized. Yet, the daily emotional labor—managing difficult customers, keeping peace among coworkers, or stepping in for absent colleagues—goes unnoticed. This invisible labor drains workers and makes them feel undervalued.
• Job Security Paradox: Many workers tolerate low pay because “any job is better than no job.” The fear of unemployment makes workers accept overwork and poor conditions. But this breeds a vicious cycle where employers feel no pressure to improve conditions, knowing they can always find someone to take the place.
• Lack of Career Growth Opportunities: For many young workers fresh out of NYSC or even fresh university graduates, the workplace in Calabar is often a dead end. Without clear pathways to promotion or skill development, workers feel stuck, further degenerating motivation despite intense workload.
• The Culture of Overwork as Loyalty: Employers in many Nigerian companies expect that working extra hours or doing unpaid tasks is a sign of commitment. This mindset is deeply embedded but seldom challenged. Workers who don’t comply are labeled as “not team players.”

Real-Life Example from Calabar

Take Uche, a customer service officer at a local bank in Calabar. Despite her 8am-5pm schedule, she often stays late to help clear backlogs from understaffing. Her monthly salary is barely 70,000 Naira, which isn’t enough for her transport, feeding, and rent in the city. She’s been promised promotion for almost two years but nothing has materialized. When she tries to raise concerns, her manager accuses her of “not being tough enough.”

How Employers Contribute to This Cycle

It’s not just about workers being unlucky. Employers in Calabar and beyond play a part in perpetuating underpayment and overwork:

1. Ignoring Transparent Compensation Structures: Many employers don’t have clear salary bands or policies to prevent exploitation.
2. Failure to Invest in Staff Welfare: No health care, no training programs, no counseling services—which could help workers feel valued and supported.
3. Overloading Without Feedback Channels: Continuous piling of tasks without open communication breeds resentment.

What Can We Do as Workers, Employers, and Society?

We need a shift from this toxic norm:

• For Workers: Organize for better negotiation. Forms of collective voice—formal unions or informal peer groups—can pressure employers for fair treatment.
• For Employers: Start valuing the full contribution of your staff, not just numbers on sheets but emotional and social labor. Invest in training and recognize hard work genuinely.
• For Society and Government: Policies that encourage transparency in pay, promote workplace standards, and protect workers from exploitation are urgently needed.

Closing Thoughts: It’s More than Just Money

Feeling underpaid is about finances, yes, but feeling undervalued cuts more deeply into workers' dignity and passion. Many Nigerian workers in Calabar silently endure, but this silent suffering ultimately harms productivity and the larger economy.

Let’s change the narrative from mere survival to mutual respect and growth. After all, the strength of any work environment is its people.

What Do You Think?

• Have you experienced this feeling of being overused and undervalued at work? How did you handle it?
• What practical steps can employers in Calabar realistically take to improve this?
• Do you think changing workplace culture is possible without stronger government regulations? Why or why not?