After a Job Loss, What’s Next? (Part 1)
Losing a job can be a very traumatic experience. No one wants to lose his or her source of income, no matter how little it may be. A job loss means there are no more pay cheques, at least for now, yet the bills will not stop coming. The rent will fall due. School fees will come if you have kids....
How to Shine by Articulating Your Value in an Interview
The interview took place in Victoria Island, Lagos, that year. I arrived at the venue and met other candidates who came to interview for the role. A few were people I knew from Ibadan. When it was my turn, I entered the office for the panel interview and sat down after I was instructed to do...
Success Is Moving From Failure To Failure Until You Succeed
I decided to drive my car as ‘kabu kabu’ (cab) after all the drivers I hired fleeced me. Rather than ‘delivering’ to me, I ‘delivered’ to them. On one occasion, a driver who took my car by 5am came to my office around 5pm to inform me police impounded my car. He wanted me to give him money to...
Managing Workplace Politics: If You Don’t Play, You Will Pay
Two bosses of mine wanted me to work with them directly in 2002. Both bosses were highly competitive and I was caught in a crossfire, kind of. Both of them sent emails to HR requesting for me. HR then sent me an email that I should make a choice. The HR person copied both bosses on the mail sent...
Bójú Rí, Ẹnu A Dákẹ́: Before You Speak Your Mind, Use Your Head
That's one of the Yoruba proverbs I learnt from my mum. It means that it is not everything the eye sees that the mouth speaks. That is a classic lesson in emotional intelligence. Our forefathers may not have seen the four walls of a school, but they were nevertheless well endowed with wisdom and...
Face to Face with Death, Again and Again… But God Kept Me
I've been through horrible things. It's amazing that I'm still alive. I'm a candidate of God's grace. I choose to count my blessings today and thank God for the gift of life. I should have been long gone. But His mercy kept me. 1998. A soldier put his gun on my chest during the Abacha years....
Never Marry a Man Who Has Television but No Vision
When I met my wife, my salary was N33,000 monthly. That was what I earned as an entry-level hire then. Yes, I agree that N33,000 at that time had more value than the same amount does now. However, to put things in proper perspective, a SIM card around the time when I got married in 2002 was...
Stop Wasting Time and Start Living Your Dreams
On Sunday, August 2, 2020, I got the news of the demise of a childhood friend. I was shattered. On Tuesday, I attended her funeral. As we stood by her graveside, I listened to the minister who spoke about how few our days here on earth are. As I left the funeral, I got another call about a father...
How I Bought My First Car Without Money
It was in 2001. The man came into our branch with so many items for sale. What caught my attention was a set of key holders with different car crests and logos. I was attracted to the one for Honda and I recall clearly as a few people laughed when I bought the key holder. What would I do with such...
How a Danfo Ride Turned into a Nightmare at the Police Station
Photo Credit: Ayano Tosin on Unsplash. “Oga, this useless man no see ashawo again, he come dey press policewoman for breast,” was his response. Here's the story: I lived at Ikotun-Egbe then. There were about five of us staying in a friend's apartment. Squatting actually. That was 25 years...