Is this blackmail if I tell my Oga I will report him for not paying my salary?

Exact this question entered my inbox last week.

Someone said, I worked for three months and my oga has not paid me.
I told him if he doesn't pay me this week, I will report him to the labour office and post our chat.
That my Oga who has refused to pay me is now telling people I am blackmailing him.

Please, is this blackmail?

No, no .
It is not a blackmail. And I will tell you why.

Let's understand what blackmail really means.

Under Nigerian law, blackmail or extortion is when you threaten to expose someone's secret unless they give you something you are not legally entitled to.

Example of real blackmails are, I have your nude pictures, give me N500k or I will post them online.

That is blackmail because you are demanding what is not yours, using a private secret as weapon.

But your salary is your right.

You worked.
You gave your time, your energy, your skill. The agreement was that after work, you will be paid. That money is already yours. You are not begging for favour, you are asking for what you earned.

So when you say, Oga, pay my salary or I will report you, you are not blackmailing him. You are giving him a final warning before you take legal action.

It is called demand notice in Nigerian law. Lawyers do it every day. Before they sue, they write, pay within 5 days or we will take legal action.

That is not blackmail but a due process.

Why Nigerian bosses like to call it blackmail is because it is easier to paint you as the bad person than to pay what they owe.

They will say, you are trying to spoil my business name.
You are blackmailing me after all I did for you and so on...

But ask yourself, who is really spoiling whose name?
The person who worked without pay, or the person who refused to pay a worker?

The Bible even says that a worker deserves his wages and even God is against owing workers.

What you should do if your salary is not paid.

• Keep all evidence like chats, work done, agreement etc...
• Write it down. Send a polite but firm message like Sir, my salary for March, April, May (N150k) is still unpaid. Please pay on or before Friday.
• State your next step like if payment is not made, I will have to report to the state labour office and seek legal advice. This is not a threat, it's information.
• Report if he still refuses. Go to Ministry of Labour, or your state labour office. You can also tell your story online with evidence. That is not blackmail, that's accountability.

Don't let anybody use big English to intimidate you.
Owing salary is wickedness and demanding your salary is bravery.

If you have ever worked and your salary was held, how did you handle it?
Did they also call you a blackmailer?
Share your story, someone might learn from it.

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