Every spare moment I get to myself is used on finding a job. As jobs go in Ghana, this one is the suckiest. The job itself is a piece of piss really, but too many people trying to be relevant and it gets so annoying. Like I don’t care who you are or what you do, or who your father is, I need to do my job, and you puffing your chest out and telling me who you are is not helping me.

Secondly, in this economy, there is no time for me to get paid monies lower than my level of competence and then telling me to prove myself. Had it had been 6 years ago, I wouldn’t have minded, but today, no, and don’t ask me why I am holding back, because I did this for 6 years, and where did it get me, being dictated to by well, I don’t really want to say what I am thinking because I vowed not insult anybody today.

Thirdly, if things are going the way it is, I might as well work from home because the dollar is almost at 4 cedis and the cedi is well on its way to crashing. All economies have gone through a downturn, but then their leaders had a halfway decent Brain, even George W., but this government, it is like they have gone to sleep. Every day you hear another politician giving an excuse and telling us they are working on it, but without actually telling you what they are working on and when they foresee any kind of turnaround.

When I come to think about it, Ghanaians like to say “we are working on it”, in fact ask a Ghanaian a question and you never actually get the answer you were looking for. Then when you probe further they end up getting offended that you are asking too many questions.

I have had three such conversations today, it has got to the point where I really don’t want to talk to anyone because my temper is as tall has my heart (at 5ft 3) so you can imagine that I am about to blow.
We had a meeting this morning, certain stock hasn’t arrived and the gentleman in charge was supposed to give feedback. So what’s happening he was asked. He said that there was only 2 and a half weeks of stock. Then silence, now we are in the business of making sure stock is available, you would have thought that this gentleman would give something away unaided but no. So I asked, when is it coming then, he says the procurement team are speaking to the supplier. Have you followed up with the procurement team, I get air. I gave up, it wasn’t even my business and I was asking the questions like it would impact my life.

The next conversation was with someone who I spoke to last week. I was supposed to get feedback but it actually slipped my mind and came back to me today. So I ask him where are we on the issue, I was expecting it last week but nothing. He comes back with, did you really, no I am sure it was probably my boss. So I said, it was him, but can I have the feedback. Then he tells me that it is good news, but he can’t tell me unless his boss instructs him to do so. Really, it wasn’t a top secret confidential meeting, I just need to know when I can frigging sell my shit, but just like the second coming of our dear Lord, I am still waiting.

Third one, well if I meet this gentleman fact to face, well I think it is better I meet him the day I resign, because I may well slap him. There is a report that the young man sends to everyone on a weekly basis. All I needed was for him to add me to the list. Simple question, it doesn’t take much effort, or maybe it does. So I ask him on the office communicator, and he responds that it is in the system. Now I have tried the system, I don’t have access, I hate asking Ghanaians for anything because of this kind of behaviour. So I tell him trust me, I went there first but I don’t have access. I also remind him of the email I sent him earlier which explained I was a demand planning and needed this report to plan. He asked me if I was permanent or NSP (national service personnel). Like I don’t know why I would bother themselves asking things that are not required of them, but by this time I was about to find him and wring his neck. So I counted to 3 and reiterated my job, why I needed it and then I ended with something like if I didn’t need it I would not bother myself asking him for it. Yeah I know, he isn’t going to do me any favours, but I don’t care, and it’s only the one report.

So he responds that he will do this for me this one time but I need to get this access so I should send him a mail. Like really, don’t make yourself so important, you put an excel sheet together and send it out, you don’t have to have a degree in rocket science to do this job.

But oh well, it is the norm and every time I ask a question, I have to just be prepared for the fact that I will have to ask a million probing questions before I finally get my answer.

In this case, after 20 questions I finally got the answer I wanted, so all is right with the world.