Sometimes, house chores can be overwhelming for new parents and others around the world. It’s understandable why they might want to employ domestic staff and pay them for their services. However, more often than not, people unknowingly pay for their own demise rather than the services they need by employing and bringing people with unknown backgrounds into their homes.
Gone are the days when you could find people with pure intentions to work. Now, many have googled and watched tutorials on stealing, destroying evidence, and even killing their employers. Trouble sleep, yanga go wake am (a popular Nigerian proverb meaning “trouble was dormant until provoked”).
It is tragic that many great lives have been lost due to circumstances that could have been completely avoided. How truly safe are you in Nigeria? That’s the million-dollar question. The staffing agencies that recruit this labor force may not have conducted proper criminal background checks and may have cut corners with security operatives to stay in business. They are often more interested in making money quickly at the expense of someone else’s life. Tufiakwa!
Security and background checks should not be bypassed but should be seen as critical factors in saving lives. Why would a medical doctor, Aribemchukwu, the daughter of Federal High Court Judge Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, die tragically at the hands of her domestic staff? Why would a London returnee of 35 years die a gruesome death at the hands of her employees in Nigeria?
There are many “whys.” The answer is that they trusted people who shouldn’t have been trusted with their lives. Did they conduct a second check on these people they employed? Years ago, a high-profile personality once told me that the Nigerian police would get to the root of any matter if the connections and ties were strong, especially where influence and money were intertwined.
No one should die like a chicken. Safety should be a priority. All staffing agencies should be scrutinized and monitored for security breaches. It’s not only the domestic staff who should be questioned or receive jail time. Yes, even the staffing agency must be held accountable. Where did they find the people who decided to maim and kill because of evil desires and greed?
It is quite sad. May we never encounter or fall into the hands of people who would snuff the life out of us. Think about it—how can someone kill another person? For this to happen, it’s clear that the killer must have reduced the victim’s life to that of a cow or any other livestock.
This is the time when every sane country, especially in Africa, should step up their efforts to sanitize the entire trend of falsehood. I suggest it should start with them. If displays of affluence are too much in the midst of poverty, what do you expect? Some artists would rent a building and claim that it was bought, orchestrating a party just for show.
Someone once said, “fake it till you make it.” But when will you stop trying to impress people who don’t care about you? There is more to life than faking it. Be real and wait for the right opportunity to come.
There’s a saying among the Yorubas: “If the person being manipulated with lies is unaware, at least the liar knows the truth.”
Nigeria is a great country with immense potential and is the envy of most countries. Unfortunately, misguided counsel from those who should have been guiding her has turned her situation into one of comme ci, comme ça (so-so).
The problem in Nigeria is simply the triad: the leaders, the influencers who live fake lives, and the youth who want to live above their means because of what they see on social media.
Anyway, may the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace. And for those who don’t know, a fake life is like a magical mirror—the more you look, the less you see.
See you next week.