For how long have you been working?
I've been working officially for 18 years. I tell people this, but they don't believe me.
Why is that?
Because I look very young; I'm not even 40 yet.
Interesting! Now I'm curious. How did that happen?
You're one of the few people who doesn't just assume I came from a rich family, and it's the privilege I enjoy. That's far from it. I started working immediately I got the opportunity to, before I turned 20.
Oh, did I mention that I've been in the same establishment since I started working?
Wow! How has that journey been?
I was raised by my dad and didn't even know I had siblings until later. I was told my mum left for some reason and remarried. That's not important, but I remember my dad, who was a teacher at the time, didn't joke with my education.
And he insisted I go for my National Diploma (ND) after I finished secondary school. By 19, I already have an ND certificate in Accounting. At that time, an opportunity came up; I interviewed for an office assistant role at this government establishment, and I got the job.
Because of my small stature, people would often mistake me for a girl who came to work with her mom or something like that. I tried my best to dress like I was going to an office, but my stature always betrayed me. I was one year into this job and was still trying to gain admission into the university when I lost my dad.
Oh! Sorry about that.
It's alright. That's when I knew I'd have to fend for myself. I put myself through school; today, I have a BSc degree in accounting and my ICAN certification. I am now a significant person in my unit.
Can you share that story? Did you leave work for school?
I couldn't do that. I remember when I got admission into a state university and I needed to pay the acceptance fee; a few family members only came through to support me close to the deadline. I knew I couldn't leave the job. I considered my chances. If I stopped working, who would sponsor me?
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And if I left, it could be more difficult to get another job after school. So, I stayed. I had an agreement with my boss (he's now retired) to do two days away from work.
I'd be lying if I said it was easy to work. I spent every year of those four years unsure if I'd be able to pay for the next session. In some semesters, I could only complete my school fees in the week exams started.
Sometimes, I had access to loans from the cooperative society I joined and made monthly contributions. In my final year, I was already speaking to people about getting a more secure job at the place.
After graduating, I was absorbed as a Level 8 officer. I wasn't interested in going for NYSC. And that's how the journey continued till now.
That's such a beautiful story of resilience.
I get that a lot. The funny thing is some people who knew me when I started out in the establishment are still around. And they are the ones who give me the most issues whenever we work in the same department.
How's that?
I can't go into the details, but having a degree really helped me move up faster, especially when I got the certification. Which means I'm now ahead of some of these people. I try my best to relate with them the best way I can, but it doesn't always work. Unfortunately for them, I have people at the top who like me.
In the years I've been working here, this is the fifth MD — because they typically serve their tenures and leave. And not to brag, I had direct access to all of them apart from the first I met there.
Do you know why they like you?
Not at the beginning; I did not. All I needed to do was carry files around and run errands. People say I do "good girl" a lot. I don't agree with that because I'm just doing my job.
But I admit that I can be very polite. The only reason I'd agree with is that I do my job diligently and I always want to learn so I don't turn away challenges that my immediate bosses throw at me.
Also, I am very diplomatic when dealing with my superiors, so I know how not to get caught in the middle of their disagreements, but I still do, maybe because I'm often the reason for the issue sometimes.
I also have the gift of conflict resolution, such that when I talk to people who are angry with each other, I can talk them out of their anger. By the way, some people say I play office politics. I agree.
What does office politics mean in this context?
I make friends with the top bosses, not necessarily with the people I report to directly. If I'm being sincere, I didn't initially know why I was doing this. But I later discovered that my immediate bosses wanted to bully or cheat me, and I had to protect myself.
I don't like it when superiors look down on me, so I politely speak up for myself — but they don't usually take that lightly, so they try to get back at me. There was a time when one of my immediate bosses wasn't pulling his weight, and I was really covering up for him so no one could see his lapses.
One day, I had a medical emergency that kept me away from work for a while. While I was away, I missed a training I registered for. You won't believe this man didn't collect the resources for me; I could overlook the certificate, but he didn't help me get the other benefits that came with it.
When I came back, I found out the training had happened. When I confronted him, he just made excuses. I decided to move on from since there would be other opportunities.
Shortly after, I was to prepare a document he usually presented at quarterly management meetings, just as I had done many times before. And I made up reasons I wouldn't be able to do it; I knew he was stuck, but I didn't care.
He kept asking me to do it; he wasn't even trying to beg. I knew it wasn't my responsibility and I was only doing him a favour, so I couldn't officially get into trouble. Besides, he couldn't even say publicly that he wasn't the one preparing the document.
He eventually found a way to get the document and I didn't care how the presentation went, but I bet it was terrible because he started victimising me. After that, he kept finding faults in the things I did.
He eventually issued me a query that I was to answer in the presence of the MD. I will never forget that day: I defended myself, and in the process, his lapses were exposed. As a result, the MD not only sided with me but also transferred me out of the department. This has happened more than once.
I can say my reputation is solid with the top bosses, and I didn't even have to do so much to earn their trust and respect. I've even used my influence to help some of my colleagues get out of trouble. But I don't think they appreciate that. I've had cases where I also didn't have any choice but to throw them under the bus for their incompetence.
Don't you think being at that place for so long is also an advantage?
Maybe it is. There are older staff there, and I don't think they get away with things like me. Not too many people get to work from home, for instance, but I do that many times. I can even take time off from work by simply making a call instead of writing a request.
I am probably very knowledgeable about what makes each person tick so much that I play to their strengths. But I cannot ignore my intelligence.
While other people in my department are reluctant to learn computer skills that make our job easier, I take my time to learn. They often see me like someone with a superpower and come to me for help.
I guess I truly have this place figured out. But I sometimes wish I could just do my job without having to do things to cover my back or try to move close to someone whose help I'll need later, or secure opportunities to call in favours. I've made peace with it, though.
Do you plan to leave the company anytime soon?
No. It's a government job. Whatever anyone says, there's job security here. If a better opportunity that doesn't take me away from my location comes, I could consider it. But I'll say I'm satisfied with my growth here.
* - Not real name
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