On my recent trip to Lagos, Nigeria, a taxi took me to a rendezvous point to meet an old school friend of mine. The taxi dropped me off at popular pot on Victoria Island named ''Tantalizers''. I paid him and walked to wait in front of the restaurant. But as I called m friend on phone and looked around to ensure that I was aware of my surroundings - after all, this is ''Lagos''.
To my surprise, the taxi driver came back and waited with me. I asked ''chief what are you doing here'' and he replied in a calm almost inaudible voice, ''Oga, I want make sure your friend come''. The taxi driver came back to ensure that I was safe before leaving!. Wow, all the talk about this ''Lagos''. According to the BusinessWeek magazine, ''Lagos not only has a severe crime problem and extremely poor infrastructure, the city has inadequate housing, sanitation, and medical facilities. Moreover, the risk of being caught up in sectarian violence is another concern.”
But this night, one taxi driver made all that negative image of Lagos to subside. In fact, all I could think of, while the guy just stood there patiently, as the incredible power we have to change a situation or perception by choosing to be different and not allow our circumstances or conditions to dictate our responses. Marcus Aurelius in his ''Meditations'' opined that ''if you are distressed by anything external of internal, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment''.
This taxi driver could have robbed me and then blame poverty and corruption for his lot but he chose not to allow the ''distress'' of his objective conditions to drive him to do the expected. He chose to keep me company with the slight hope that I will call him again - although I got his business card, something tells me that his gesture was beyond the desire for repeat business. Several taxi drivers have given me their business cards before - from Lome to New York - but none have offered to keep me company while I waited in the dangerous street for a friend.
Now this gesture of the taxi driver happened one week before Nigeria's new President - Mohammadu Buhari took office. Maybe, this is a sign of better things to come. Maybe, during Buhari's term, I will fly into Lagos and Immigration officials will not ask me about ''wetin you carry'' but instead will welcome a citizen back home. A reception I get each time I fly into New York's John F. Kennedy airport. Instead of ''wetin you carry'', I get ''welcome home!''.
To my surprise, the taxi driver came back and waited with me. I asked ''chief what are you doing here'' and he replied in a calm almost inaudible voice, ''Oga, I want make sure your friend come''. The taxi driver came back to ensure that I was safe before leaving!. Wow, all the talk about this ''Lagos''. According to the BusinessWeek magazine, ''Lagos not only has a severe crime problem and extremely poor infrastructure, the city has inadequate housing, sanitation, and medical facilities. Moreover, the risk of being caught up in sectarian violence is another concern.”
But this night, one taxi driver made all that negative image of Lagos to subside. In fact, all I could think of, while the guy just stood there patiently, as the incredible power we have to change a situation or perception by choosing to be different and not allow our circumstances or conditions to dictate our responses. Marcus Aurelius in his ''Meditations'' opined that ''if you are distressed by anything external of internal, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment''.
This taxi driver could have robbed me and then blame poverty and corruption for his lot but he chose not to allow the ''distress'' of his objective conditions to drive him to do the expected. He chose to keep me company with the slight hope that I will call him again - although I got his business card, something tells me that his gesture was beyond the desire for repeat business. Several taxi drivers have given me their business cards before - from Lome to New York - but none have offered to keep me company while I waited in the dangerous street for a friend.
Now this gesture of the taxi driver happened one week before Nigeria's new President - Mohammadu Buhari took office. Maybe, this is a sign of better things to come. Maybe, during Buhari's term, I will fly into Lagos and Immigration officials will not ask me about ''wetin you carry'' but instead will welcome a citizen back home. A reception I get each time I fly into New York's John F. Kennedy airport. Instead of ''wetin you carry'', I get ''welcome home!''.
Interesting how such a small gesture can go along way. One of my favorite piece on customer service.
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