Re-orientating for Culture Shock!?

Nigeria can be great!
Nigeria will be great!!
Now, why did I start with these words? Well, it’s because many people and sadly, many Nigerians still believe our country is somewhat beyond redemption and that expecting a speedy change is tantamount to a wild goose chase.
Reality is that anyone taking such pessimistic position is practically demonstrating ignorance of subtle structural and fundamental transformation taking place all over the land.

I recently accepted employment in one of the leading energy companies in Nigeria and this necessitated my relocating from Lagos to a small island in Rivers State. I and my colleagues boarded a chopper at the Port-Harcourt Air-force Base as there aren’t any bridges linking the island to the mainland. The beautiful aerial view of the islands and adjoining water bodies was an unforgettable experience, and I could only wonder what enormous potential and opportunities lay there-in in efficiently harnessing and effectively redistributing the vast resources available in this land.

On arrival at the helipad of the facility, we were immediately received by designated staff who verified our identities, picked up our luggage, ordered for one of the official taxis (I’m talking about new air-conditioned Toyota Condors and Hiace trucks, not those ragged cabs we Nigerians are used to!). We subsequently drove through the silicon-valley like streets of the facility (in this Nigeria o!) and were accommodated in an exquisite apartment, reminiscent of the 5-star Hilton suites.

We held meetings with several members of the management team. The unusual thing was the level of composure, intelligence and excellence exhibited by ALL of them.
The first thing they would tell us is that ‘this isn’t a Nigerian company!’ The GM of Production (Caesar of the facility) reiterated that “our aim is to be one of the best companies to work for in the world because we are probably the best organization to work for in Nigeria at the moment”. The spirit of contentment amongst staff is also unmistakable. The organization’s main concern is to provide staff with ALL the support and resources they need in order to consistently deliver. They believe the less personal and need issues you have to worry about, the more focussed you are and the higher the quality of work done.

I remember vividly in a meeting we had with the Management of the Health Centre, we were informed that whenever there was an emergency in which a staff needed blood, they would depend on other staff (with same genotype) to donate blood. One of us (new recruits) then asked a question ‘how much do we get paid for doing this’? The doctor quickly replied and said “the culture here is quite different. Whenever we need blood, people are more than willing to donate and we always get more than we require!”
Of course, our poor colleague felt embarrassed!

A staff of the HR department went ahead to inform us on why the organization frequently funds and provides staff with international training opportunities. She said “we are currently working out the logistics for your international travel, and we hope to conclude on this soon. We believe you need this in order to mitigate the effects of the culture shock so you can integrate with the people and culture in our organization”

You guessed right! The question is why a culture shock???
Well, the answer is simple! Over 90% of organizations in Nigeria currently do not provide world class working environments (most banks, insurance companies, government and energy downstream companies inclusive). You might want to ask what world-class means, but simply put, world-class in the 21st century means an organization that has a clear cause, extremely values her people, has the right resources, has intelligent and always- learning staff dedicated to the corporate cause, delivers quality, adds value and is a responsible corporate citizen.

I could go on and on, but the moral of this story is that right in the midst of prevalent mediocrity, there are still organizations in our Nigeria that are committed to excellence in every sense of the word, and believe that what they have to offer is equally or even more important than what they have to gain in a capitalist and increasingly selfish and narcissistic world.
One more thing: I’m proud to work in such world-class environment. Those that are committed to excellence will reap the rewards of excellence and the mediocre, though seemingly prosperous today will eventually have themselves to blame in the emerging prosperous New Nigeria. As Fela Durotoye says, “whenever I’m given an opportunity to make a presentation or perform a task, I BLOW IT TO PIECES!!!” Wow! It’s time to blow those tasks into pieces and re-invent Nigeria in your own way.