EMMAWAD

Human Resources: Part 2 Mololuwa eventually returned to the mini office the following day, to fulfill all righteousness and convince herself that she had all the self-control in the world to do the right thing; who knows, luck might just shine one her. The reception room was very busy with people this time, unlike the previous day when she felt important enough to get the job, being the only one that had showed up for the interview. Now she understood why she was told to return the next day. There were youths and even grandpas present there now, all eager to get hired. They had on desperate expressions, especially the men. Mololuwa could not breathe freely anymore for the air had been choked with nervousness, desperation, anxiety and every other punitive feeling one could think of. The security guard was quite friendly this time as he smiled at her and told her not to worry about the day’s register but to go straight into the office space with the other pack of wolves who...

Human Resources (One) S he woke up earlier that morning, ready to take on an interview that would probably click this time. She had applied for an HR job with a genuine firm, after she had googled the name:  Prime Platform resources. Three days earlier she had got the email to come for an interview due to the satisfied credentials they had received in the application process. She thought about looking good but simple; she did not want to be debased like the last interview she had with a pension firm where her interviewer bashed her for putting on a three quartered pant trouser to an interview looking like a flippant candidate. She never concluded if that was why she didn’t get the job. This time was going to be different. She would make sure no one held her in low esteem just because of her appearance. She was going to look like her 24 year old self. The night before the star day, she brought out her best corporate white shirt that she had never worn after she was given...

Ahmed set himself on fire because he was fed up with the hardship in his country (Nigeria). This is similar to the story of a man from another country whose action triggered an uprising and changed the negative normalcy in his country. His name was T arek el-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi;  a  street vendor from Tunisia who set himself ablaze on 17 December 2010 in response to being harassed by an officer while selling his wears. This resulted in an uprising; a revolution against the dictatorial system of government, by the citizens. We are yet to know Ahmed's surname. Ahmed was a barber in his twenties. He was probably not a father yet or a husband; just a son to his parents. Eye witnesses reported that he smoked regularly and was on drugs and acted crazy; once a good guy turned bad, but no one investigated why. Before his scary action, he lamented about the hardship in the country and decided not to be a part of it anymore. He had reached his climax. People watched, some took pi...

It was going to be a rainy day in June. Chioma's interview had been slated for 9am as stated in the text message she had received the previous day. She had applied for the position of a Customer Service Officer online, in a Reputable Globally Known Company. With raised hopes, official killer outfit, rehearsed poise, and the Lord's Prayer keeping her almost calm throughout the bumpy drive, Chioma headed for the interview. After following the directions given to her, she still couldn't locate the company; she refused to, even though it stared her in the face like an angry mob. It was a kiosk-like room opposite the street's waste centre. After much consideration, she decided to go in. She was there already and had nothing else to lose but time. "Good morning. May I ask if this is T&G Solutions?" She was dead deep inside now when the scrawny looking receptionist answered "yes" to her question, and was led into a dingy space demarcated from the r...

It could pop up as breaking news, a social media post, a gossip from a neighbour, an observation by a pastor or a rumour from a beer parlor. Then it develops wings and flies through every section of the country and then it becomes a broken news. "Have you heard what is going on in town now?" "Oh that one na old news sef...na so we see am o my brother. Wetin we fit do? Na only God fit help us..." And then there might be committees set up to combat the negative views of the given news; a way of looking into the issue by the government. In no time there will be new news to take its place and the ball just won't stop rolling. Unemployment has not always been, but it is now the Normalcy Talk like "no water, light, food, housing, etc. When it becomes normal it becomes accepted comfortably like a prodigal son returning home. It becomes celebrated via speeches, conferences, songs, films and the like, still it never goes away...Stalemate. Are you a Normalcy Ta...