Reward System

We all work on a reward system, right from when we were very young.
If you were a good baby you got cuddled a lot more, you got more toys, more milk... Yes, I said more milk, you got what you asked for.

That's how humans are raised. When you go to school and you get all your timetables right you get a gold star, an extra two minutes at your lunch break, you get more sweets in your lunch box etc.

We survive on that reward system.

Just the other day I was planning on watching TV after I had done some work, and once I realised the electricity was turned off and it wasn't going to be on till tomorrow, that put me in a right mood.
I grew annoyed, frustrated and I gave up.
Because if times are hard and you know you ain't gonna get anything out of it you give up because your reward system is gone.

Some can argue that they don't work on a reward system but yet you do. Even though you are lazy throughout the whole year in school, once exam time comes around, you buckle up because you do not want to fail. Even if you do enough to get by, you know at the end of the degree you want to graduate with  2.1 or a 1st so you work.

When you take that reward system away you have the problem with Nigeria.

Our people have lost all hope that Nigeria is going to change. They work all day and they do not get anything in return. Our children go to school and yet the teachers are not well educated, or trained and or don't care about their students. The students in return do not pay attention because as far as they are concerned they are not getting the proper standard of education. Once they graduate, what job opportunities are there for them?

What we need to try to do is to instil hope back into the community, into the schools, in our workplaces.

If someone has been working and has done amazing work, then promote them, over the bosses daughter. Irrespective of the pressures you might face. Because at the end of the day, that person's advancement will benefit your job, your company and thus the amount you will earn.
Do not hire someone you know is not right for the job just because of this one connection that you have, and so you think it'll go unnoticed.

It doesn't go unnoticed, we just don't speak. Why? It's about time we do.

Girls, you have brains and you have gumption, do not use yourself as a Sale's Rep for a Bank because you think that it is better to have some money than none. The prospects might be good for a while but what you are going to be asked to do isn't. *I 've heard some personal stories about this*

Bosses, treat your staff the way they should be treated, with respect and sensitivity. Pay them what they are to earn.

Well connected folks, use your money, power and connections to ensure that there is an adequate system working. Set up charities to help your local community. Retailers, use some of your money to set up training programmes for those interested in sewing, designing etc. Set up local outreach programmes dedicated to training etc. We don't need to wait 10 years to make this happen we can start now.

If we are all serious about change in Nigeria then let's start now.