We have just celebrated the workers day yesterday. We need to reflect on the real meaning of work because without an urgent change in our orientation as a nation on the true meaning of work, unemployment in Nigeria, which is largely artificial…, will continue to be an intractable challenge to every administration in this country
By Michael Ogueke
I first shared this experience in a seminar. It was actually in 2007 while consulting for a hotel in Owerri, Imo state that I was taught the real meaning of work by the hotel’s car wash staff.
This particular staff Nnamdi, was the only applicant that applied with a First School Leaving Certificate as his highest qualification and specifically for the position of a car washer.
It was a 65 rooms hotel including single & double suits. On average, 40 cars park in the hotel’s car park daily on weekdays and about 60 cars on weekends. The hotel weren’t charging fees for car washing. It was purely complimentary.
In about a month of this car washer resuming, I was getting excellent reports from guests and supervisors on the good conduct, attitude and professionalism being displayed by the car washer in his work. Within that period, there was an opening for a supervisor in the cleaning department. The number one candidate for the position that came to my mind was the car washer. I called him into my office and informed him that he will be resuming as a supervisor in the cleaning department with effect from the next Monday and that a new car washer will be resuming with him the next day for him to give a 3 day orientation on the job before handing over to him.
I know of tailors including my first cousin that charges up to 100,000 naira to make a ‘senator’ caftan and with his 4 workers could make up to 7 of them attires in a day. I know of seamstresses that charge up to 300,000 naira to make a simple wedding gown and could collect up to 500,000 naira if they are baking the wedding cake as well
To my surprise and shock he declined the offer begging me to allow him remain as the car washer citing his inadequate education and good communication skills as inhibitions to him taking the promotion.
I allowed him to remain as the car washer but it raised my curiosity. I started to study his work as a car washer. What I discovered shocked me to the marrow and changed forever my orientation and definition of what work is and who actually is working.
On average he was washing 60 cars a day including those of suppliers, contractors and customers that came to the hotel during the day time. Since the hotel’s car wash complimentary only covered washing the exteriors of cars, he was collecting a personal fee of not less than 1,000 naira to wash the interiors of cars for customers that requested for it. He was getting on average about 500 naira per car as tips from appreciative customers and guests.
All these translates to the car washer making on average 35k on a good day. If he shared 15k to his 2 assistants, he still made 20k per day which translated to 600k per month. And the hotel manager’s salary was a little less than 70k as at that time.
Another shocking discovery again for me was that this car washer was actually a university graduate but decided to apply for the job with First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) and specifically for the position of a car washer. What this means is that he knows exactly what he was doing, what he wanted & what he was going to get right from the beginning. He was intentional.
Why this story?
Because we as a people, especially the present youths in Nigeria, have a very wrong orientation of what work is and that’s why so many graduates, young men & women are roaming the streets jobless with ear phones in their ears, rucksacks on their backs and sagged trousers blaming the government for unemployment when millions of high paying jobs are staring them in the face at every turn.
I know of tailors including my first cousin that charges up to 100,000 naira to make a ‘senator’ caftan and with his 4 workers could make up to 7 of them attires in a day .
I know of seamstresses that charge up to 300,000 naira to make a simple wedding gown and could collect up to 500,000 naira if they are baking the wedding cake as well.
Auto mechanic, welding, tiling, POP, Photography, shoemaking, jobs & excess more jobs everywhere but we give excuses with lack of power, lack of government grants and loans etc as if those who are making millions everyday from these skills and trades got preferential treatment from the government.
We don’t believe we are working unless we wear tie and suit or customs, immigration etc uniforms & go to office every morning to swell the ranks of those agitating for 30,000 naira a month minimum wage even when the opportunities to learn & do legitimate skill jobs that will pay us that amount in just a day is staring us in the face at every corner.
These jobs and enterprises produce goods and services that grow the GDP, grow the economy generally and provide employment.
We have just celebrated the workers day yesterday. We need to reflect on the real meaning of work because without an urgent change in our orientation as a nation on the true meaning of work, unemployment in Nigeria, which is largely artificial going by the expose in the narrative above, will continue to be an intractable challenge to every administration in this country.
Michael Ogueke michaelogueke@gmail.com
