The office is in Lekki, the ninth floor of a fifteen storey building, and that's where the administrative works for the enterprise is done. We are a real estate development company we build and sell and sometimes lease out luxury apartments. The income is tidy, for the owner of the company. He is the reason I’m writing this.
He is a rich guy, extremely arrogant and does not care about his staff. When I say extremely arrogant, I mean he is rude with it. So here’s a typical scenario, which has become somewhat normal to Staff. You are enjoying your day so far; just around mid-afternoon, when you hear your name bellowed in the passageway by the voice you now know to dread. "Tunde! Where is Tunde".
You adjust your tie and step out as quickly as you can, knowing that delay will result in abuses. You step out, and as he sees you, then he shuts his door behind him. You hurry along, while your co-workers pop their heads out of their door to see the look of a dead-man-walking.
His office is ice cold, and you wonder why your ac in your office makes a lot of noise for nothing. Here you won’t hear the ac complain, you just feel it. Like I feel it now, in the ostentatiously decorated office. I stand a few feet from the door, still afar from his large desk. To the right stands a huge portrait of himself, gazing down on you, and even though you are not looking at it, you can feel his stare. He is on the phone now, talking loudly to an old friend. He laughs and says his goodbye. Dropping the phone on his empty desk, his face changes immediately he sees you.
‘Are you daft?’ he says. That’s not a question, and so you needn’t answer. Answering might be disrespectful.
‘I’m sorry sir?’ you say, your hands still held behind your back, as you start to sweat.
‘Are you deaf?’
‘No sir’, you reply promptly, not knowing if it was a question or not.
‘Did you not see me on the phone? Are you so stupid that you don’t know that you should wait outside till I call you in?’
To that you keep silent. He looks at you as if his stares will rip you into shreds.
‘Are you not the one I’m talking to?’ he barks.
Now let’s take a pause here. You remember when you were doing your interview? When he sat in the middle, and didn’t say a word and you felt you had impressed him? You remember how he nodded every now and then, and you knew he was the boss with his bow-tie and expensive wristwatch, you recollect? That was a month ago. You had thought you’d do all you can and he will be impressed with your work. Well, doesn’t he look different now? Don’t you just regret sending your CV here in the first place? Okay, let’s get back.
So he’s still staring at you, his stare colder than the blistering ac. ‘I’m sorry sir,’ you say.
‘Shut up!’ he says with the top of his nose. ‘What document did you request for? The MD said he has given you a copy already, so what else is it you are asking for?’
‘We need it to send it to the bank for the-‘, you are saying.
‘Are you deaf?’ he cuts in. ‘I said he has given you. Are you stupid?!’
Now pause. At this point, you are close to breaking in tears. Not because this here man is shouting at you, or that even though you are talking in a low respectful tone, he speaks so that the whole building can hear how stupid you are, no that’s not why you want to break down. And it’s not because all of a sudden your tie is choking the life out of you, or that you haven’t had the opportunity to eat all day even though you have black coffee splashing around in your stomach and you can bet it runs through your veins. It’s because you haven’t been paid for last month and it’s the 20th already. No, it’s not about the money. It’ about honour, dignity; it’s about getting a fair compensation for your hard work. No scratch all that, it is about the forking money. Else there’s no difference between us and the slaves on plantations.
‘I don’t have it sir,’ I say.
Then he stares at me for eternity. I swallowed hard, avoiding his eyes. My legs are weak now.
‘Okay you can go’ he says, as if he’s had just enough of me and I was fouling the air. 'I said get out. Get out.' He waves his hand as if to wave off a pesky fly.
A wise man once said there is the permissible fifteen minutes of madness in every man’s day. The wise man? Me. So I’ve carved fifteen minutes out of every day to do something stupid; something I want to regret much later.
‘Are you done?’ say I.
‘What?’ he replies, befuddlement on his face.
‘I was just asking if you are done, you rat face.’
He was silent. His jaw drops, lips partly open.
‘Do you know just how bland you sound? Are you really this irritating, or you pretend to be? Do you sometimes stop to listen to the crap that actually comes out of your mouth? Do you-‘
‘Are you mad? Get out of my office!’ he yells. ‘Get out of my building! You are-‘
‘Fork you, I quit, you forking arrogant selfish bastard!
He stands up and walks towards me with determination. As soon as he gets close enough, I swing out a punch, meets him right on the jaw. I hear it click. He yells and falls to the floor, writhing. 'why?' he asks.
'Give me my salary first, you forker!'
Then I drag him to the metal safe under his table, and order him to open it.’

‘Yes sir,’ I say with a bow, and walk out.
That could have been my fifteen minutes, to talk back at The Man, to live, to be free, to start my own path as an entrepreneur...but I am in Nigeria where The Man knows you have no choice but to remain on his plantation, and a thousand more are gunning for your post and as soon as you leave, CVs will start rolling in. There may be nothing for you out there, so this was not that fifteen minutes of madness; no, it is not yet time. Will the time ever come?
I get back to my table, relieve the grip of my tie, fold my cuffs and get back to my slave labour.

God help us all

Mcheeeeeeeeeew...



I told d bastard I quit! To his face!



If una like make una dey do humble humble..

Braggante, the time will surely come. Don't despair. In your spare time, apply for jobs that interests you.

Or plan an exit strategy, save and become an entrepreneur.

That is Nigeria for you. But I must say, we also have ourselves to blame. If we don't speak out for fear of losing our jobs, we and all others will continue to suffer. We value temporary security so much we tend to forget that at times, until we cut our ties with the present, we can never move into the future.

This kind of boss needs to be talked to in a hard, truthful, but polite manner. He needs to know that the earth revolves round the sun, not him. He can't sack everybody.
But then no one wants to be made a scape goat. So we all suffer in silence.

hmmm chai and this is the same environs I am preparing to start working next 2mao. may God bless our hustle.

I want to believe you are talking about a real situation.
Let me tell you the truth: the greatest injustice a man would do to himself is to stick to a job that enslaves him.
Am very sure this MD would choke your schedule so u don't have time to seek another job or request for days off to attend an interview.
Freedom is never given. It is fought/struggled for. I had such experience in my first job in Abuja. The MD was very rude just like the one described here. I simply quit the job n got something else later. Today I am enjoying my freedom.
You don't need to carry anybody in your office along as some sell-out will definitely betray u. Pray and make your decision alone. You don't need to be abusive but humble.

Such scenerios is fast becoming a norm in coys of late. Glad I haven't faced such. God knows I might lose my cool.

Love your narrative, but I disagree with you on something. Everybody works for somebody, the entrepreneurs also work for their customers and stakeholders. If you feel entrepreneurship is the solution cos he was a beast to you, then you simply are wishing to leave there so you could be a beast to others. Life isn't fair, but humans should be fair.

Your boss is a dweeb, that is his personality and would remain so whether rich or poor. He is the type whom if he was an employee would be the office snitch, bully, amebo, juju man and what not.

Perseverance is key though, don't forget you are working as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Use the opportunity you have there to determine your end. Cheers

Horrible bosses...Always be on the lookout for better opportunities even if it means scheduling a Skype interview with your potential employer. God help us

I used to work for a boss that fired me because he was in a bad mood.... Usually he's temperamental and rains abuses, but that day I told myself ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I walked out but not before asking for my salary arrears, which he said dismissively will be paid at the end month. The point is THERE IS NO VACUUM IN LIFE and I told myself I WILL NOT BE JOBLESS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! I got a better job in a more friendly environment two months later. The country is hard... Yes but u have to take the bull by its horn sometimes. Take heart dear

mehnn dats wat we always see in dis country. There are people dat u are better, some are close to hell but all in all God dey,
lastly dont allow dat spirit to overwhelm u, just keep doing wat u know is right God will see us through

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stop-walking-eggshells/201201/lack-empathy-the-most-telling-narcissistic-trait
This is the personality disorder
he is suffering from.

This nearly captured my encounter with my last boss.
He called me on phone and told me to go to work the next day, a Sunday.
I told him confidently "Sir I can't". And that was the end.
Today am still waxing stronger. Don't just take any shiit in the name of keeping a job.

There are no jobs nau

This would be handled when we start putting national interest above personal interest.

When we
start looking out for our brothers, sisters, neighbours, and other Nigerians.

But we are a selfish people that only care when we are invovled. Too bad.

ok

Ok

Sorry i no even read am. I get exam

chai.. Nigeria. .. no jobs out there. .. God go kuku help our country

What other options are there ?

The pains of unemployment! God help us all

ionno why i find dis so hilarious,,broda, dis iz modern slavery..

bt i'll blame u 4 all of dis,,as working in an office is nt ur calling,,

u'll make a good writer, i repeat, i can c Chinua Achebe in u,,

It's evil and it's not what i wish on my enemies but alas here is a country where people are happy to become slaves just so they can survive. Sometimes i look at my life, the ability to offer some services online and get paid for it. Not risking Lagos traffic or some annoying boss breathing doing my neck..I just thank God. It's a privilege to be that blessed. While i believe not everyone can stay home and do the kind of job i do, i believe it's also better to appear to a potential employer as someone who is doing the favor and not being done the favor. Corporate slavery has to stop.

sad

Hmmmmn

Ehyah, OP Pele..... Boss from hell. Your writing skills are awesome though.

Hope you get a better job soon.

I understand your plight but then again, like I advice people, do not risk leaving where you work for a shabby business idea.

When I mean shabby, I mean an idea without a realistic outcome. Don't get me wrong, not all ideas readily generate funds, but as long as you know over time profits will flow in(be it 6months, be it 10years) you can always follow that idea through.

Nonetheless, DON'T ever leave a former boss unhappy, no matter how bad it is, leaving a work place is not an opportunity to rain abuses on your "annoying" boss...that's like not disappointing him.

In disappointing him, in place of abuses, pour praises on the "mothaforker"(forgive my French, I know how annoying they can be)...tell him how he has helped you become a better person in what you do..blah blah...trust me, the headache of confusion might make him commit suicide (exaggerated statement).

In conclusion good luck in your future endeavors

That's y entrepreneur is best!

Hmmmm Nigerian to Nigerian or India to Nigerian, Lebanese to Nigerian which one looks more intimidating?