Bento Africa, a Nigerian payroll and HR management platform, laid off its 10-person tech team on Friday after they protested against founder Ebun Okubanjo’s decision to delay January salaries, according to sources familiar with the situation. This abrupt layoff comes just one week after allegations surfaced accusing Bento of failing to remit millions of naira in taxes, forging tax receipts, and mismanaging client funds.
Unclear Leadership and Continued Chaos
Though Okubanjo officially resigned on January 30, citing his intention to allow the company to move forward, his continued involvement raised questions about the legitimacy of his resignation. Bento issued a statement allegedly from its investors, saying it was retrieving platform credentials from Okubanjo. However, at least two investors denied seeing that letter, raising further doubts about the company’s internal stability.
Despite his resignation, Okubanjo continued communicating with employees on January 31, informing them that their salaries would be “strategically delayed” until they processed all pending payroll for customers. This announcement triggered a backlash from employees, who decided to halt operations until their salaries were paid.
“It’s January, and everyone is going through it financially,” one ex-employee wrote in a Google Chat message seen by TechCabal. “Even amidst all the chaos, we’re still here working without knowing where the company is headed. The team has collectively agreed to halt all operations until we get paid.”
A Strategic Move or Retaliation?
Okubanjo defended his decision, emphasizing Bento’s history of prompt salary payments and claiming the delay was strategic, as he expected some employees to resign due to the controversy.
When employees refused to resume work, Okubanjo treated their protest as resignations and deactivated their work emails without pay. He also offered to redistribute the withheld salaries among employees willing to stay and process payroll. “If we end up with two employees making ₦3 million each, that is it,” Okubanjo said in Google Chat messages.
None of the employees accepted his offer.
Operations at a Standstill
Bento’s now-dismissed tech team was made up of young engineers, most with only a little over a year of experience at the company. This mass layoff has effectively stalled Bento’s operations, particularly its payroll processing, which had already been manual since 2024 due to issues with payment processors and underfunded accounts.
“With all the engineers gone, there is almost no one to run payroll,” said a current employee. Bento sent an email to customers claiming that it had intentionally halted transactions while platform credentials were being transferred from Okubanjo to an interim overseer.
Employees Left in Limbo
For many employees, the situation has been deeply unsettling. One employee, speaking anonymously, admitted to removing Bento from his LinkedIn profile due to the stigma surrounding the allegations.
“I even took the company off my LinkedIn for a while,” he said. “It’s been a really difficult time for everyone. We were just trying to survive, and then suddenly, our emails were deactivated.”
What’s Next for Bento?
Bento’s future remains uncertain. The loss of its tech team, combined with ongoing investigations into financial mismanagement and tax fraud, has left the company vulnerable at a time when trust in Nigeria’s HR-tech sector is already fragile. Without immediate intervention and restructuring, Bento risks losing its remaining clients and further tarnishing its reputation in the market.
For now, customers and employees alike are watching closely, waiting to see how Bento will navigate its most challenging chapter yet.