It breaks my heart the way security guards, gatemen and maiguards are treated in this country.

And yes, I'm a security guard myself.

How many of your friends have ever publicly admitted that they are security guards?

How many can post pictures of themselves in their security guard uniforms on Facebook, Instagram or online?

We are very few in this WhatsApp group maka chi. Lol.

What is there to be proud of after all? Is it the poor pay? Is it the dog-size security houses that people provide for their security guards to live in? Or is it the overall risky nature of the job?

If this treatment stopped at security guards maybe I won't cry out. But this poor treatment of security guards mirrors the way the Nigerian government treats our security forces; the police, army and other paramilitary agents. Our government pays them peanuts yet expects them to risk their lives for almost nothing. Our government pays them peanuts yet arms them with expensive AK47s.

Mana this post is not about our security forces. Let me not derail biko.

This post is about me a young, handsome and ambitious security guard. This post is about that security guard, maiguard or gateman you're looking down on in your office, compound or neighborhood.

Remember that your life may literally be in his unarmed hands. Remember that he keeps watch so that you can shut your eyes and sleep peacefully.

I implore every security guard out there to post at least one picture of himself or herself here. Na legit hustle we dey hustle, we no kill person. Lol.

Please note that I had to hide the name of the security company I work for in my picture so that this post won't be misunderstood to be an attack against them. I appreciate them for employing me and giving me an opportunity to earn money no matter how small. If Nigerians valued security guards and were willing to pay higher for their services, I'm sure the private security agencies would pay us their employees more.

Yours securely,
John

In case you're wondering, I'm the same John in this other story from 2016:

https://www.nairaland.com/2947132/lagos-igbo-land-business-move

And yes, you guessed right. I'm back in Lagos.

If you're interested in working as a security guard, you'll need a CV, at least three passport photographs and two guarantors.

Please note that the average pay is below thirty thousand naira (N30,000).

That's good.,but their salary dey too small

Happy Workers' Day from an unhappy worker.

I'm being owed my March and April salaries as I type this. I feel so angry and frustrated right now.

I guess it's time to quit this job.

This is really sad, but you have to think about the good thing about this story. Imagine that there are way worse jobs which people work on just to feed themselves and their family, some of them on 2-3 jobs per day. I think that this job will disappear in the near future, it's already being replaced by the most performant security systems. I am using one of these as well, mostly for Vivint medical alert system, which can be life saving when you suddenly feel bad, and there is no one else at home who could call the medics.

Lasufat:
This is really sad, but you have to think about the good thing about this story. Imagine that there are way worse jobs which people work on just to feed themselves and their family, some of them on 2-3 jobs per day. I think that this job will disappear in the near future, it's already being replaced by the most performant security systems. I am using one of these as well, mostly for Vivint medical alert system, which can be life saving when you suddenly feel bad, and there is no one else at home who could call the medics.

I had to google this Vivint Medical Alert you talked about. It's a pendant that the owner can press in a medical emergency to alert a hospital and get medical attention, right? See how you've advertised your business for free in a smart way. Well done. Lol.

How can this alert-pendant help in "preventive security" though? I'm sure nobody would want to be attacked while waiting for help to arrive. For that reason, I don't think security guard jobs are disappearing any time soon.