Sometimes in life, we encounter people who are more influential than we are, and they use their power against us, either through intimidation, denial, or all sorts of advantages to themselves. This kind of experience can be devastating if you have encountered one like mine. It hurts to see what you deserve or merit snatched away from you because of someone's power and influence. This is the kind of society we find ourselves in today. It is what it is, but in every experience, we will always have a lesson to learn, regardless of how bad we feel about the situation.
Reflecting on this incident left me in a bad mood, but come with me as I quickly share with you how I was affected in the past because of power and influence. This happened in 2017, when I was posted to a government hospital here in Lagos State to serve for one year through NSYC. NYSC is a compulsory one-year program for graduates in Nigeria before seeking a permanent job offer. During the three weeks of camping, I was given so much privilege because I had a baby. The soldiers weren't strict on my movement, as I really wanted to camp; however, I was going home from time to time. I remember one of the officials telling me to be very specific about my home address so that I would be posted to a hospital close to my home to avoid stress. All this was done at the camp, and when I got my posting letter, I was super excited.
Unfortunately, I didn't know that something uncalled for was waiting for me somewhere. I happily got to the dental center on Lagos Island and requested to see the chief dental technologist so I could submit my posting letter to her for approval and the necessary documentation. To my greatest chagrin, this woman used her power against me. She said, "I am sorry, I can't accept you to this hospital because you have a baby." She went further to explain how nursing mothers and pregnant women are so unproductive in different settings due to their responsibilities. Today, they might give permission that their babies aren't feeling well; tomorrow, they might come up with an immunization excuse to skip work, etc. I watched this woman, my fellow gender, list all sorts of reasons why she would never accept me and felt demoralized.
Imagine being posted in an establishment by the government, and someone, because of her power and influence, cut off the joy from you. Before I could say a word, this woman wrote a rejection letter and said that I wasn't fit. She didn't even bother to test my capabilities; she just did not want a mother to work with her. I felt bad even more because she is also a mother, and I am sure that one thing or another must have made her miss work in her years of practice. But then, she has the power and the opportunity to reject me. I felt confused and frustrated. The implications of what she did were that I had to go find out by myself where I would be posted. This time, NYSC can't repost me after being rejected. I searched and searched but didn't see somewhere nice and close by. Finally,I decided to just serve in a school around me instead of serving in a hospital to really practice my profession.
Wrapping up, I had so many expectations after receiving my posting letter, and the outcome later left me devastated. It took a while before I could accept reality and move on. This experience taught me to be open-minded in life, as many things don't always go as planned.
This post is in response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled, Power and influence