The Real Housewife of Nigeria, Episode 7
The one where Nigeria went on Strike
March 4, 2024
Welcome to episode 7, The one where Nigeria went on strike.
One thing Nigerians are good at is going on strike. We moved here in October and by November a large portion of the local company whom CJ works for was on strike. They were demanding a pay raise and remained on strike for an entire month. This left the expat workers, who are not unionized, to pick up the slack of their co-workers. Then, for some technical reason, our travel allowance wasn’t being paid out and because CJ’s main HR representative, (as well as the majority of the local HR), had taken part in the strike, he was left with no response or help on the matter.
This is the reality of a strike: work remains untouched and the people who have little to do with the issue regarding the strike pay a price. The reasons Nigerians go on strike are layered. I’m not discounting that it is either actually the best way to create change, or at least, they feel that it is. I can’t weigh into this fairly, because one, I am not Nigerian, and two, I am still learning so much about this country as far as history, economics and politics go.
Fast forward to last weekend when I was coming home from a girls weekend trip to Amsterdam (This was my wonderful birthday present from CJ.) I was seated next to a Nigerian man who was overflowing into my seat. He paid for the plane wifi so he could receive work calls throughout the flight. I know they were work calls, because he took them on speaker phone. Every. single. one. His ringtone was “Sexual Healing," a song that I am ok with never hearing again.
In between the calls, however, we got to talking. He told me how he is not a fan of the current president of Nigeria and how the Naira (their currency) is in a free fall. He no longer feels safe in Nigeria, and because of this, a year ago, he moved his family to Amsterdam. He travels to visit them every 3 months. “People get desperate and do senseless things,” he explained. I listened, hoping he was being dramatic.
Over the next few days, however, we received not 1, not 2, but 3 emails from our security team echoing a lot of what he was explaining.
Our security team also told us there were plans for a nationwide strike. The union workers across Nigeria were planning to protest the soaring inflation. Because the protests that happen during these strikes can quickly become dangerous, they told us to be prepared to be on strict lockdown. The kicker about the strike was, they (whomever makes these decisions) hadn’t chosen the dates yet, so no one knew exactly when it would happen. As you might imagine there is a real challenge in going about your life when something so tangible and yet illusive is looming.
At least when we lived in Louisiana we could watch a multitude of instruments measuring the technical precision as the hurricanes came to shore. Here we just check our email over and over. No tracking the cone direction, wind sheer or windspeed.
Despite many differences between a hurricane and a strike, one thing that is similar is the advice to stock up on food. Our security team told us it will be a 2-day strike, but there is also no guarantee on how things will go. I bought a bag of rice the size of a pillow, enough meat to fill 3 freezer shelves and several boxes of cereal. We can surely survive on corn flakes if it comes down to it.
On Monday, we got word the strike would happen this week.
What does a nation-wide strike in Nigeria look like?
This is my first one, so I am learning, but here is what I know. We cannot leave camp. CJ’s company is not running the buses to or from school, so Ray is home. Nor are they running buses to the airport, so anyone who landed after the strike started will stay at an airport hotel until the strike is over. Anyone planning to travel out will not make their flight. We know one camp family who has been forced to extend their vacation in Dubai, which I suppose, is not the worst problem.
I asked one of my camp friends who has been here for over 4 years if we should be concerned. She assured me that strikes are normal and that she’s seen a million of them. “Only one time in 2020, did a strike get serious. A group almost breached the camp fence and we were all told to stay in our houses and turn off the lights.”
I know she meant well, but this story did not make me feel better.
I suppose I’ll get through my first strike experience the way I’ve gotten through my whole time here: by making friends, praying/crying/laughing (often in intermittent cycles), focusing on our upcoming vacation, and doing vodka shots with my camp neighbor after our coffee date at 10 AM. Only kidding. (Happened once).
After a large amount of time and effort (considering this is a set company benefit) CJ did eventually get paid out for our vacation allowance. Lord willing, we will persist through this strike too. There is a lesson that Nigeria keeps teaching me. One of more patience, more persistence and more grace. I hate it all. But, I am grateful for it all.
In closing, I will share a quote from an author whose work I come back to time and again when I feel things getting gritty, Anne Lamott.
In her book, Help, Thanks, Wow, she says,
“But grace can be the experience of a second wind, even when what you want is clarity and resolution, what you get is stamina and poignancy and strength to hang on. Through the most ordinary things, books, for instance, or a postcard…” Help, Thanks, Wow, pg 47.
PS.
Since completion of this newsletter the 2-day strike cited has ended and all protests were peaceful. However, our security team says there may be more strikes through mid-March and to be on alert.
Nigerian Education moment:
A note on the Naira exchange rate. When we moved to Nigeria in October, 2023 the official Naira to the dollar rate was 800 Naira to 1 USD. Currently as of this writing (March, 2024) the official exchange rate is 1500 Naira to 1 USD. In a global economy, you can see how this can be detrimental.
Camp News:
The weather is finally changing and the dusty season of Harmattan is coming to an end. This means warmer days, but better air quality. After all the dust, we are grateful for this.
We have a new camp monkey! Those of you who have been reading from the beginning will remember our first camp monkey, Marcel. He was funny and entertaining at first, but then, Marcel made himself a little too comfortable. He went swimming in the pool (often), starting bullying cats, pooping on lawn chairs, playing on the kids' playground and finally got kicked off camp. Twice. Because he came back the first time. Time will tell if the new monkey can behave well enough to be a new resident or not.
The Rose household finally got our house shipment! It took almost 4 months because that is as quick as house shipments can shimmy across the Atlantic. This means we now have couches that are comfortable enough to sit on, and mattresses that don’t feel like rocks. I also have a slow cooker, rugs and kitchen knives that actually slice. It's amazing! Also, it's horrible, because I hate organizing and unpacking. A rap song artist once said, “more money, more problems.” But I think what he meant was, “more kids’ toys, more problems.”
We had a camp Mardi Gras celebration a few weeks ago which included gumbo, king cake and a parade. I was impressed with the taste of everything, given that we are nowhere close to Louisiana.
In April, CJ’s company is getting a new country manager for Nigeria (let me translate, this role is a big deal). He and his wife came to visit camp last week. I and several other residents had the privilege of tagging along with his wife to a sushi making class. I don’t like fish, but even veggie sushi making was a ton of fun. Now I can’t stop craving a spicy avocado cucumber roll. See the picture above.
I recently did a long weekend trip to Amsterdam with 3 other camp friends. Getting out of Nigeria is quite time consuming (lots of reasons for this, which I will have to explain another day when we cover airport shenanigans), however, we had the best time. As expected the weather was wet and cold, but we didn’t let it stop us from shopping like crazy, eating all the best foods and doing a few fun tours.
Our next vacation is to Cape town, South Africa, at the end of March, in 20 days, but whose counting?