Study of Business Ethics Practices in Banking Sector of Niger State

Business ethics in the Nigerian banking sector directly affects customer trust and institutional integrity, and examining ethics practices in Niger State, North Central Nigeria, provides regional evidence for improving professional conduct standards. This study examined business ethics practices among banking sector employees in Niger State, focusing on ethical awareness, ethical decision-making, and organisational ethics culture across 10 commercial bank branches in Minna, Bida, and Suleja. Data were collected from 200 bank employees using structured questionnaires covering awareness of the Central Bank of Nigeria's Code of Ethics for Banking Practitioners, observed unethical practices, and organisational responses to ethical violations. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were employed. Results showed that 78% of employees were aware of the CBN Banking Code of Ethics, but only 43% had received formal training on its application. The most commonly observed unethical practices were unauthorised account charges (reported by 52%), inadequate disclosure of banking charges (47%), and preferential treatment in loan approvals (39%). Reporting channels for unethical conduct were unknown to 61% of respondents. Senior banking staff showed higher awareness but were more likely to condone minor ethical violations. The study concludes that ethics training awareness in Niger State banking is insufficient, and recommends mandatory annual ethics refresher training for all banking staff and whistle-blower protection mechanisms to improve ethical conduct reporting in the North Central banking sector.

Keywords: business ethics, banking sector, Niger State, ethical conduct, CBN Code of Ethics