Thread by @greaterbayo

My Buffet, My Nigeria

Wanted to eat breakfast this morning.

I saw a guy in front of a lectern. I almost turned back as I thought a church was holding a meeting there. I didn’t know the guy was a staff monitoring those going in and coming out. As I entered, he asked for my room.

I moved closer to where the food was displayed. I always loved their food because of the vast choice. But something looked different this morning. I assumed they were still going to bring more. It was my favourite hotel and the breakfast was my primary reason. Always buffet.

I picked one of the spoons to serve myself. One of the ladies approached me and said, ‘I will serve you, sir’. Serve me? Nigba wo ni gbogbo iyen bere? When did this one start? She served me a few pieces of yam. And then put some fish stew.

I asked for sausage. Not available, sir. I looked around again. All the regulars (or what used to be regulars) were missing.

I wanted some coffee. The tea cups were missing. So I signaled to her. ‘I will get the coffee for you, sir’. Ki lo n sele? The coffee I used to drink so freely now rationed? She brought a cup of coffee. They didn’t even allow me to determine how much cream I wanted.

My wife saw my fish sauce had finished but I still had some yam left. She wanted to signal for more. I told her to spare me the potential embarrassment of having her request declined. Seems everything was being rationed. If the soup finishes, then the ‘swallow’ must rest.

I called one of the staff to find out if I would pay for my daughter. Breakfast for children was usually free. Thankfully, it’s still free.

I sighed.

Rather than become angry, I was very sad. Empathetic. Knowing what businesses are going through at the moment brings me to tears. So many are struggling. The economy is very harsh. Entrepreneurs are struggling to make ends meet. Many are not even breaking even.

They are trying to adapt. They are juggling so many things so they can stay afloat.

If you are an employee and your employer is paying your salaries regularly, please appreciate them and give them your best. Spare some time to also pray for that business.

Oh Nigeria!

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