During NYSC, I met a lot of people who later became colleagues, and there was one in particular, Christiana by name. We were very close. She was an 'ajebo' lady, considering the fact that her parents are well-to-do. She studied Biochemistry in the university, and she always told me she wasn’t going into that field after NYSC. Instead, she planned to work in a bank because her dad works with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and with such influence, she believed she could be placed in any commercial bank in Nigeria.
After we were done with NYSC, she got employed at Ecobank as a staff member. When an opportunity came up, she messaged me and asked me to inform other colleagues who were interested in working in the bank to forward our details. She assured us of getting the job because her dad was given a slot, and he told her to bring in her friends. With the level of closeness I had with her, I was very confident that I would get one of the slots.
However, after we had forwarded all our details, the world went into lockdown, the COVID-19 lockdown. She told me to stay put and that once the lockdown was lifted, she would give me a clue on how to go about it. Unfortunately, during the lockdown, a lot happened across the world. Many organizations struggled to survive, and there were layoffs in several companies. That was it, the opportunity was taken away by the COVID-19 lockdown. When things began to return to normal, she told me that the organization didn’t proceed with the employment and had to manage the staff they already had.
Sometimes, I regret it deeply, and at other times, I just smile at how everything played out. Maybe I wasn’t meant to go and live in that very busy and overpopulated city, Lagos.
Thanks for reading.