Nigerians!

My daughter turns 2 in a few days and I thought I should do something
nice for her to remember, especially as she has been seriously ill
with an infection and needs à bit of cheering up.
So I went to the babystore I patronise regularly to see if there was
anything she would like. (How I would pay for it was à different story
altogether, but I wasn't thinking about that just yet.) To cut a long
story short, the lady owner told me she just got some toys and
brought à large carton over to me. I picked out à toy kitchen set,
complète with plastic pots, spoons, whisk, griddles and à stove! I
knew my daughter would love that, and it would save us the headache of
her banging our pots and pans. I also picked out an alphabet building
block set that fit together like legos. I then asked her the cost and
to my surprise they came to just over 2000 naira! I was overjoyed
because I felt even if I didnt have any money that amount would not be
hard to raise. I begged her to reserve the things for me and went off.
(Now, before I continue, à little background on this store owner.
I have been buying things from this lady ever since my baby was
3months. As à matter of fact she knows my house and has come several
times to drop off stuff or pick up her money. Twice when I was paid
for some freelance work I spent a lump sum in her shop buying my
daughter's wardrobe and furniture. My daughter plays with her kids, we
shop in the same market and live in the same neighbourhood. So, in à
sensé we are close. So when I tell her to réserve something for me, I
expect she will. And she did.)
Yesterday, I went again, this time with my baby, to have a look at the
toys and be sûre she liked them. The lady brought out the large carton
again and my baby went for the same sort of toys I had picked so I was
satisfied. I then asked her to put it aside, hoping to leave a deposit
since I had à little money left from buying my daughter's drugs. So
imagine my surprise when the lady brings a handwritten bill and all
the prices have doubled! When I ask she says she made a mistake
initially and she went back to check her prices. I knew she was lying
because the day she showed me the toys her friend who was there had
said they were too cheap. I thought then that she was being sarcastic
and I laughed but apparently she wasnt. Needless to say, I left there
without any toys and very disappointed in her.
Which brings me to my point: why are Nigerians so selfish and greedy?
There's a lady who sells groceries very close to my house who goes as
low as inflating the cost of 5 naira biscuits to little children
coming from school! In this country someone only has to mention once
on the news that minimum wage has been increased for food prices to
instantly increase. And at the mère mention of the possibility of fuel
scarcity commercial drivers increase their fare with no thought as to
how people without the money will get home. That's why during such
periods scores of people have to option but to trek for miles back
home from work. What does it mean when someone tells another that
something is 'too cheap' and they should make it more expensive? Or
maybe I'm just naïve; because if you can get more for something why
settle for less? (Though I dont know if that rule applies to sharp
practices, lying and swindling kids.) The only other country where I
have seen people this ruthless and greedy is Bénin. But even at that
they dont do it to each other mostly to 'green' foreigners.
Or maybe it's just my poverty showing.

Chili

Comments

femmelounge said…
awww! that must be really painful. i would have been dissapointed too considering how close you said you are.
April 6, 2012 at 9:21 PM
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