The unspoken words of
bitterness and slavery still exist among us. Most times, we equate slavery with
skin colours and racial divides but, the real slavery is when you treat people
below you with disdain. Slavery is not a function of grammar; it’s an act of
suppression. An act of maltreating people who have no power to fight back or no
will to do so.
Nigerian employers
are the worst slave masters. Well, maybe not all but significantly few.
However, you can not completely exonerate the Nigerian employee who allow such
situations in the first place. There is fear in the land. The fear of not
having a job. The fear of losing the job you have and people have knowingly and
unknowingly allowed shitty situations and acts from others due to this
I have once worked in
a company where I was told that the MD would defecate and call his secretary, a
young lady, to flush the toilet. Wait a minute, how on earth can you use the
toilet, and find it so hard to flush it off. A task that won’t take you more
than 1seconds.
This lady was a
victim of verbal assault from her boss. I have witnessed it more than once. I
still don’t understand how someone will allow another to degrade and dehumanize
them verbally because of a JOB. No way.
There are some things
I can’t take. Unfortunately that is me. I am a micro compared to the macro
version that abounds. I speak my truth and I own it. I don’t fret. I don’t
care. For me, I can pick a job today and resign the next day. I am not
conditioned to stay in a job forever. When you take my CV, the first thing you
will see under my attribute section is Happiness. My happiness on the job is
paramount. If I am not happy doing that job then, I am out.
So I got an invite
two years ago with a popular oil Company. If you know me well enough, you will
know I have never shy away from my love for oil companies. The only place I
dread is a bank. I can’t do bank jobs. No way. I’m not built for the stress in
that place. It’s for some special lots.
My referrer for the
oil and gas job was the CTO of the company. He stumbled on my profile on
LinkedIn and sent me a message to drop my CV because he would like to work with
me. I was elated. Immediately, I sent the CV.
A week later, I got
the invite. The first interview went well except that everybody wanted to know
how I knew the CTO. I told them plainly, I have never met him. However, I have
his phone number and how I got his number is another story. I remembered when I
called him to request for his email address, he asked how I got his number. I
told him and he responded by saying, if you can get my phone number, you can
get my email. I think I should be careful with you…. Did I get his email?
Yes I Did.
The second stage of
the interview was okay until we got to the last stage or whatever stage they
want to call it. The interviewer ushered me into a nicely furnished
mini-conference room. He told me how impressed he was with my previous
interviews then he started his questions. He asked, If I can make tea for the CTO.
