The leading public relations agency in Nigeria, The Quadrant Company popularly known as TQC, over the weekend set a new industry record by sacking over a dozen of its staff.
One of the top management staff relieved of his job is the agency’s finance controller- Femi Olaleye, and 12 analysts.
The reason for the massive disengagement was not known as at press time, but sources said it is a result of harsh economy climate that has affected almost all the integrated marketing communication businesses in the country.
789marketing investigations reveal that the decision to disengage this numbers was taken when the managing director of the agency, Bolaji Okusaga was on vacation. “He was briefed at resumption on the development,” said a reliable source.
However, one of the sacked employees said Okusaga was duly briefed on the matter.
While some say the affected employees were sacked as a result of lack productive, some posited that the reason is solely economy.
It would be recalled that since the front-line agency lost the lucrative Etisalat, Guinness Corporate and British America Tobacco businesses to Chain Reactions and Xlr8 respectively, hard times had set in.
The Okusaga led agency made it up by winning the Coca-Cola PR business but the income from the soft drink giant brief is said to be in short supply for the near over-bloated workforce in the Troyka’s PR agency.
According sources, the disengagement plan, which took all the members of staff by surprise was carried out by Tosin Adefeko, the agency deputy managing director in full backing of the Troyka Holdings.
Apart from Coca-Cola that is the agency full PR brief with retainership, TQC also manages Microsoft, Intel, CNN and British Airwave accounts albeit project by project basis.
This is the first time any PR agency in Nigeria will layoff such numbers of workforce at ago. The trend may continue if the recession is not curb, said PR practitioner..
789marketing had earlier reported the imminent lost of jobs in the sector as a result of clients’ sudden downward review of their marketing budgets.
The labour turnover in the leading communication agency has left much to be desired in recent times.
Recently, key backroom staff such as Abiodun Coker, Tosin Akin-Ogundeji, Mabel Aladenusi, Regina Whenu and Jeniffer Ukoh left the employment of of the agency to join UBA, American Embassy, Consat, Brooks & Blake and MultiChioce Nigeria respectively.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Eze, Blessing Nwobodo-Itua and others are still very much with the vibrant PR firm.
