Pfizer Shuts Down Commercial Operations in Nigeria, Lays Off Employees

Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has shut down its commercial operations in Nigeria, rendering its commercial employees redundant, according to internal company correspondence obtained by West Africa Weekly.

Documents obtained indicate that affected employees received formal redundancy notifications, signalling a major restructuring of Pfizer’s business model in the country. The documents suggest that the company is moving forward with layoffs but has yet to finalise employee severance packages.

An email dated January 13, signed by Olubukola Oparinde, Manager People Experience,  SSA Biopharma, acknowledged employee concerns during discussions about the shutdown and stated that further feedback from leadership would be provided. Employees were issued redundancy notification letters, which they were required to acknowledge, confirming that they had been informed of their job losses.

Further correspondence on January 15 instructed affected staff to sign off on the notifications, emphasising that these were not final redundancy agreements. The company also indicated that severance details were subject to additional approvals.

A follow-up email on February 12 addressed to an employee included severance computation details, suggesting that discussions around employee compensation were ongoing.

Following the shutdown, affected employees are entitled to severance packages, including redundancy benefits, final salary payments, and other entitlements based on their contracts and Nigerian labour laws. However, concerns have been raised over whether Pfizer will fulfil these obligations in full.

This development comes amid ongoing economic challenges in Nigeria, with several multinational companies either downsizing or exiting the market entirely and many losing their jobs.

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