sitemaster AN OPEN LETTER TO MR BOXER aka NIGERIAN WORKER ON THE OCCASION OF WORKERS DAY CELEBRATION
By Solomon Chollom
I greet the Nigerian worker (Mr Boxer) on this great day of Labour Day Celebration I truly respect you but do not envy your position, privileges and perils.
You are made to look special and feel special so long as you remain the cash cow. Unfortunately, the moment the milk stops flowing, you lose your prestige as Napoleon (Employer) will send you to the abattoir to be slaughtered as he places another advert for younger cash cows.
Mr Boxer, You may have a well-furnished office, accommodation, an official car and a retinue of aids running your errands and you feel good while the society regards you. Unfortunately, I wouldn't fall for that deceit because that is not you. The real you is when you retire and you go months to years without the payment of your gratuity. The real you is when you incidentally get incapacitated and you are laid off without any health or life insurance program.
I do not envy your 8.00am clock in and 4.00pm clock out, after which you race to a club or recreation centre instead of investing the time and resources in a revenue generation time out. Weekends are worse, especially when salaries have just been paid, you spend most of it on spending spree instead of productive ventures. One or two weeks after pay day, you can hardly pay transport fare to work
Dear Boxer, I do not envy you when you are promoted or given a big portfolio. You try so hard to justify the position by working late hours, thinking more and travelling more with little time for family and friends. Imagine when half of that investment of time, skill and other resources are into your own business, you will not have to retire after 35 years and wait for another 5 years for gratuity to be ready while contending with debilitating health. You would not have to worry what the family eats or where your kids would work as that would automatically translate into a family business, feeding the family and providing employment for your kids and others in the society
Mr Boxer, I do not envy you when you write your name and accompany it with endless paper qualifications when you cannot translate one into a skill that could be institutionalized and expand the industrial and production sectors with some royalties flowing your direction whether you are dead or alive. Until i see that in Mr Boxer, I will not regard your paper qualifications or value them.
I don't envy you, Mr Boxer, when you get into civil service and break the laws you were meant to be guided by. You only remember such laws exist when you assume higher position and use it to make life a living hell for others. You work with regional, ethnic and religious sentiments. You doctor documents and frame colleagues all in a bid to remain relevant and on top. You forgot its not a personal enterprise, one day you will exit and you will not be comfortable to pay a courtesy call to the institution you once served as a boss simply because you tormented those you would have mentored.
I do not envy you Mr Boxer. your loyalty is commendable and advisable but your boss would often shortchange or change you when the milk glands go dry. He will pretend he doesn't know you are sick, he will pretend he didn't know you are to be promoted. They will pretend he didn't know your wage should be increased but he will not forget that you already have two queries in your file. He will not forget you are due for retirement. They will forget to commend you but will condemn you daily, justifiably and unjustifiably.
I don't envy you Mr Boxer until you know that you must not live like a king while you are in service only to live like a pauper and subject your family to a life of slavery after service years.
I don't envy you Mr Boxer until you become wiser to know that life does not end with civil service. I don't envy you when you think that the best your certificates could give you is a government job. When you think you are trained to be the best employee instead of the best employer, I will never envy you!
I do not envy you so long as you don't have other legitimate sources of income aside your monthly income. Salaries come monthly but bills are paid daily. Monthly pay cannot foot daily bills my dear Boxer
Truly, i don't envy you Mr Boxer aka Nigerian worker. Happy workers/Boxers day!
