Non-Disparagement Agreement Template for Nigeria

A Non-Disparagement Agreement prevents parties from making negative or harmful statements about each other. These contracts are common in Nigerian employment settlements, business partnerships, and severance packages, helping protect reputations and maintain professional relationships after a split.

Under Nigerian contract law, these agreements must be specific about what counts as disparagement and include fair exceptions for truthful statements or legal requirements. Breaking the agreement can lead to financial penalties or legal action in Nigerian courts, making them powerful tools for managing post-relationship conduct and protecting business goodwill.

Non-Disparagement Agreements work best during key business transitions in Nigeria. Use them when ending employment relationships, especially with senior executives or employees who had access to sensitive information. They're also valuable when selling a business, settling disputes, or closing partnership deals where maintaining reputation matters.

These agreements become essential during mergers and acquisitions, protecting both parties' brand value. Nigerian companies often include them in severance packages, consultant contracts, and settlement negotiations. They're particularly important when dealing with high-profile departures or situations where negative public statements could harm business relationships or market standing.

• Basic Employment Agreement NDAs: Commonly used for standard employee departures, focusing on protecting company reputation and trade secrets
• Executive-Level Agreements: More comprehensive versions with broader scope and stricter penalties, often including social media restrictions
• Settlement-Based NDAs: Tailored for dispute resolution, including specific terms about the settlement and future communications
• Mutual Business NDAs: Used between Nigerian companies during partnerships or transactions, protecting both parties equally
• Limited-Scope Agreements: Focused on specific events, projects, or time periods, with clearly defined boundaries of what cannot be disparaged

• Corporate Employers: Draft and enforce Non-Disparagement Agreements during employee exits, acquisitions, or dispute settlements
• Senior Executives: Often bound by stricter versions protecting sensitive company information and relationships
• Legal Counsel: Draft, review, and ensure agreements comply with Nigerian labor and contract laws
• HR Managers: Implement these agreements during employee separations and maintain records of compliance
• Business Partners: Use mutual agreements during joint ventures or commercial relationship dissolutions
• Communication Teams: Monitor compliance and manage public statements within agreement boundaries

• Party Details: Gather full legal names, addresses, and roles of all involved parties
• Scope Definition: List specific behaviors, statements, and platforms covered by the agreement
• Duration Planning: Determine how long the agreement will remain in effect
• Permitted Exceptions: Identify legally required disclosures under Nigerian law
• Enforcement Terms: Define consequences and remedies for breaches
• Document Generation: Use our platform to create a legally-sound agreement that includes all required elements
• Signature Requirements: Prepare for proper execution with witnesses as required by Nigerian law

• Identification Section: Full legal names and addresses of all parties bound by the agreement
• Scope Definition: Clear description of prohibited statements and communications
• Duration Clause: Specific timeframe for the agreement's effectiveness
• Legal Exceptions: Provisions for court-ordered or legally required disclosures
• Breach Consequences: Detailed remedies and enforcement mechanisms
• Consideration Statement: Valid exchange of value under Nigerian contract law
• Jurisdiction Clause: Nigerian law as governing authority
• Signature Block: Space for parties' signatures, dates, and witness attestation

While Non-Disparagement Agreements focus on preventing negative statements about parties, they're often confused with Non-Disclosure Agreement. Here's how these two documents serve different purposes in Nigerian business law:

• Subject Matter: Non-Disparagement Agreements prevent harmful opinions and statements about reputation, while NDAs protect confidential business information and trade secrets
• Scope of Protection: Non-Disparagement covers public statements and communications that could harm reputation, while NDAs restrict sharing specific information with third parties
• Duration Impact: Non-Disparagement often continues indefinitely for reputation protection, while NDAs typically have defined timeframes tied to information sensitivity
• Enforcement Focus: Non-Disparagement violations usually require proving reputational damage, while NDA breaches focus on unauthorized information disclosure