Is your privilege blinding you?
When Lee turned 3 months, Nneka had to go back to work and we hired a nanny, let's call her N. N was great at her job and was pretty much instrumental in how we cared for Lee in those early days.
When Lee turned 3 months, Nneka had to go back to work and we hired a nanny, let's call her N. N was great at her job and was pretty much instrumental in how we cared for Lee in those early days.
It also helped that she had kids of her own so it was pretty easy to draw from her experience.
On any given day, she will get on the phone and say things like "madam make you buy Grip Water as you dey come back ooo, this pikin belle dey pain am." Or she could say things like
On any given day, she will get on the phone and say things like "madam make you buy Grip Water as you dey come back ooo, this pikin belle dey pain am." Or she could say things like
"Oga hold him head like this." N quickly became Lee's backup mother.
One morning, I needed to get to work early so I can catch a 9 AM meeting, but Lagos' weather had a different plan. This didn't bother me as I had a car and I can easily get to work with minimal to no problem.
One morning, I needed to get to work early so I can catch a 9 AM meeting, but Lagos' weather had a different plan. This didn't bother me as I had a car and I can easily get to work with minimal to no problem.
But N didn't have a car. By 8:20 AM, N wasn't home, she typically gets in by 7:45AM or 8AM tops on most days. But this day was different. I became super anxious with each passing minute largely because I was the one to anchor the meeting.
At 8:40AM it became pretty obvious I wasn't going to make the meeting and there was no way I was going to leave my 4 months old at home all alone.
When N finally came in at almost 9:50AM, my anxiety had morphed into anger. I just couldn't imagine how a "serious person" will show up late to her job. I mulled over a bunch of questions in my head; would she have done this if she worked at a bank?
Did she do this because this was an informal job? Was I being too nice to her and she took me for granted? I had questions.
When she eventually sorted herself, I asked her "N, why you come late na? Wetin happen?" Then she answered, "oga no vex, rain fall heavy, transport cost go up and people dey struggle bus." The moment I heard these words, my anger instantly disappeared and a wave of sadness hit me
I was judging N based on my own privilege. I had a car, so I could easily move around, plus a sudden N100 bump made no difference to me. I had suddenly forgotten how chaotic it is to move around in public transport when it rained.
So, I ask again, is your privilege blinding you? A N1000 bump in price means nothing to you, but to the next person, it might be the difference between skipping lunch and going straight to dinner. As we head to the polls next year,
when you make the decision to cast your vote, vote for the candidate that has N's best interest at heart. N can't suddenly "japa" like you. She may never see a tarmac or know what a cockpit looks like even if it was staring her in the face. Vote because of N.
Selah.
Selah.
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