ABUJA (Sundiata Post) We like to talk about how the government fails us as citizens and how they do not uphold their social contract with us. But, we fail to talk about how we as citizens are shortchanging each other every single day.
– A colleague talks to you about an idea they have for advice but you run off behind their back to implement it. You call it “being sharp”.
– There is a car park in Wuse 2, close to Banex. I like to go there because unlike other places, they don’t put four people in the backseat. Their value is that they only carry 3 passengers in the back and one in front. To make up the cost of the one passenger they have forgone, they add N100 to everyone’s fare. I don’t minding paying that extra N100 for the comfort I get in turn. Yet, once they leave the park and any passenger gets off before their final destination, they take it as an opportunity to make it up to four people. Social contract broken.
– I just read a thread on Twitter where Kuada Kitchen had refused to pay employees for many months and yet insisted they keep coming to work with promises of “payday is tomorrow” or “I am working on something big and it will pay soon”. While owing workers, she was sinking N600,000 into an expansion plan and living big. The lady who worked for her that exposed her on Twitter, (complete with receipts and all) had had to drop out of Uni to look for a job as she could no longer afford her fees and she raised a plea on Twitter which Kuada Kitchen responded to, gave her a CONTRACT OFFER LETTER and then went ahead to violate every single term within that contract.
– I have read on Mabel Agbenyo wall how relatives and friends have deliberately destroyed the businesses of people just because they are close to them.
– In 2015, I was working on a project team with some cool people. One day, one of them called me up saying how someone was in his office yelling at him because of N70,000. He was embarrassed because he was expecting a cheque and had tried to explain this to the person but they had just refused to understand. He wanted to know if I could just give him the money and he would pay back the next week. I had just gotten my salary that day, I was working as a project officer and earning N80,000. I was horrified by what this person was going through. I immediately asked him to come to my office, I apologised and excused myself from the meeting I was in and went with him to withdraw the money. This is 2018, he has not paid me back one kobo of that money.
– My former colleague lent her cousin about N400,000 for his imports business to buy goods. He never paid her throughout the time we worked together but he would frequently travel to buy more goods and update his house with the latest expensive gadgets.
– In 2016, I invested a lot of money. A lot of money in someone’s business. I had learnt my lesson. I no longer gave anyone money without proper agreement on paper. I sent him an agreement that he agreed to. Signed and sent back. Now the investment period is over. I came back to Nigeria expecting my money but he has absconded. Packed up his business to another city and moved out of his house. My lawyer and I are looking for him.
It usually starts from the little things. My kid sister once had a friend who would never return little change. You know how you’ll buy something and the seller will have no N5 or N10, then they’ll give you maybe N20 and ask you to give them the N5 when you have change? This girl would never go back to give them the N5 because it was just N5. My sister asked her how many N5 she owed at that point and did she know what N5 would do for that petty trader?
Imagine my sister’s friend as the head of PENCOM in thirty years.
I am not the most upright person but one thing my parents taught all their kids was that you do not sow where you did not reap.
My friend Kunle spoke to me about an idea he had. When bae was discussing his business ideas with me, I saw a synergy with Kunle’s idea that would make his work better. I said, I think there’s something you can try but it is my friend’s idea so before I tell you about it, let me call Kunle and ask him if he’s okay with me sharing. I called Kunle, he said to go ahead since it was just an idea and he didn’t know when he would have time to implement and if someone could do it, he was happy.
I did temp work for a hospitality agency in London. One day, they sent me somewhere to work. I was sick and couldn’t hack it. I went to the place, explained I was sick and they agreed to let me go home. When my weekly pay came, the hospitality agency had paid me for that place I didn’t work. I sent them an email explaining that I didn’t do the work and they should tell me how to pay them back their money. They deducted it out of my next pay but dashed me some of it, as the lady said “for being so honest. ”
The same hospitality agency did not pay me my holiday pay even though I had put in a request for it. I sent them an email and tagged all the managers. They paid me my money.
Sometimes, I talk about some things with people and they go.. Oh wow, that’s an amazing idea, you’re so smart. I say thank you but the idea doesnt belong to me, it’s my boss’ idea.
These little things.
The same person moaning about how the govt is so unfair and how politicians are so corrupt is busy shortchanging someone, failing to deliver on something and being blatantly criminal but if you point it out to them, they will call it “smartness” or “hustling” or “we just dey do am to survive”. To them, they are different from the corrupt agency head who stole pension money or the jamb heads who are making up funny stories for how they stole millions or the policeman who harasses them on the road for N50. They are different and will be the first to talk about how this country is just sooo difficult!
Don’t come and tell me about how some societies work and others simply do not. Societies at the very basic level are made up of people. Systems are built by people and ideas are generated by people.
You scam one person today and they end up bitter. Tomorrow, they do it to another person and it goes on and on.
Like the dumb Chemistry professor in my Uni in Undergrad who would be excessively mean to students because that was how his lecturers treated him in school.
You want things to change but you have adamantly refused to look at yourself and how you treat people.
You own a business and treat your clients anyhow.
You ask people to lend you money and refuse to pay back.
You pretend to be friends with someone then badmouth them behind their back.
You ask people to work for you and refuse to pay salaries.
You find a wallet with cash in it and decide to keep it because God works in marvellous ways.
You date five girls at the same time and marry one secretly because you’re a sharp, bad guy.
Someone broke up with you and you decided to buy acid and pour on them.
I can go on and on…
There is no need invoking Karma. I do not think Karma works in Nigeria. I have seen too many bad people get away with doing awful things to others.
My point is this, we cannot expect a society that works when the fabric of that society is built on derailment and malfunctioning behaviour of the individuals that live in that society.
Source: Facebook/ZainabHaruna