Monday morning is usually traffic-heavy in Lagos and October 6, 2008 was no exception particularly as the week before had witnessed a very long holiday due to the Id-el Kabir and Independence day celebrations so at around 6.30am the trademark of Lagos roads, “go-slow” had already begun to develop at the Iyana-paja area of the Lagos-Abeokuta Express way. It was into this that I was “baptized” this morning and well that’s not even the reason for this post. As I sat in the bus that was taking me to my destination, enduring the slow moving traffic (and thanking God in my heart that I didn’t take my car out in this madness), what prompted this post happened.
One of the passengers was to collect twenty naira change from the conductor so the conductor handed him two N10 notes. The man took a good look at both of them and immediately retorted that he didn’t like one of the notes because it was worn. The conductor just collected the two notes and started looking for some other person who was willing to take the change. Another passenger collected it promptly (if you live in Lagos you will understand why he must have done that). After taking a quick look at the notes, he too quickly returned the monies for the exact same reason the other man had- the notes were worn.
Honestly speaking, the note that had become tossed to and fro was worn. You would think the note was like 5 years old. You know how a piece of an old newspaper that’s been trampled under foot and picked up from the roadside looks? Then you have a picture of what that N10 note looks like. It was dirty, worn and torn at the edges. It definitely was in bad shape and I understand the reason for the rejection.
What prompted this post however was this question that came to me as that rejected note was being passed around from conductor to passenger- who made that note what it was? Was it not the joint responsibilities of all the peoples whose hands had handled that note that made it crumpled, old, worn and torn? That note was once brand new, crisp and clean don’t you think? But now, not one year after its creation, you’ll ever believe that note was ever new.
In this part of the world we are quick to reject money that’s old, cello taped, worn or torn but yet we are responsible for the state the money is. Let me paint a scenario of what happens to the naira note daily. A young man collects the notes from the bank, crisp and clean. He steps out of the banking hall and being hungry, goes to a “buka” for a meal. After his meal, he pays the food seller and collects change. The money he gave her was still crisp and clean when he gave her and when she uses it as change to another man, who works as a dispatch rider in a courier company, it was still clean. The man collects the change and squeezes the money into his back pocket. On his way home, he pays a conductor transport fare and the conductor straightens out the note, joining it to the many ion his hand, folds them into two and then into four and squeezes them into his jeans pocket. With this kind of treatment, you can be sure it would only take a week before that note becomes crumpled, worn and torn, just like the N10 note.
Interestingly, the CBN had rolled out a campaign to help promote the proper handling of our monies but after a little hype, it has suddenly been quieted. However, I think as the salt of the earth, we should set the examples for those who don’t know any better, as to how our money should be handled because in the eyes of God, one who is undisciplined in handling naira notes doesn’t count as being responsible enough to handle societal change. The lesson for us is simple: our actions, little as they may seem, go a long way in affecting the environment we live in.
One of the passengers was to collect twenty naira change from the conductor so the conductor handed him two N10 notes. The man took a good look at both of them and immediately retorted that he didn’t like one of the notes because it was worn. The conductor just collected the two notes and started looking for some other person who was willing to take the change. Another passenger collected it promptly (if you live in Lagos you will understand why he must have done that). After taking a quick look at the notes, he too quickly returned the monies for the exact same reason the other man had- the notes were worn.
Honestly speaking, the note that had become tossed to and fro was worn. You would think the note was like 5 years old. You know how a piece of an old newspaper that’s been trampled under foot and picked up from the roadside looks? Then you have a picture of what that N10 note looks like. It was dirty, worn and torn at the edges. It definitely was in bad shape and I understand the reason for the rejection.
What prompted this post however was this question that came to me as that rejected note was being passed around from conductor to passenger- who made that note what it was? Was it not the joint responsibilities of all the peoples whose hands had handled that note that made it crumpled, old, worn and torn? That note was once brand new, crisp and clean don’t you think? But now, not one year after its creation, you’ll ever believe that note was ever new.
In this part of the world we are quick to reject money that’s old, cello taped, worn or torn but yet we are responsible for the state the money is. Let me paint a scenario of what happens to the naira note daily. A young man collects the notes from the bank, crisp and clean. He steps out of the banking hall and being hungry, goes to a “buka” for a meal. After his meal, he pays the food seller and collects change. The money he gave her was still crisp and clean when he gave her and when she uses it as change to another man, who works as a dispatch rider in a courier company, it was still clean. The man collects the change and squeezes the money into his back pocket. On his way home, he pays a conductor transport fare and the conductor straightens out the note, joining it to the many ion his hand, folds them into two and then into four and squeezes them into his jeans pocket. With this kind of treatment, you can be sure it would only take a week before that note becomes crumpled, worn and torn, just like the N10 note.
Interestingly, the CBN had rolled out a campaign to help promote the proper handling of our monies but after a little hype, it has suddenly been quieted. However, I think as the salt of the earth, we should set the examples for those who don’t know any better, as to how our money should be handled because in the eyes of God, one who is undisciplined in handling naira notes doesn’t count as being responsible enough to handle societal change. The lesson for us is simple: our actions, little as they may seem, go a long way in affecting the environment we live in.
2 comments:
So true... I believe that the way we treat our currency reflects our attitude towards the country itself - we crush and crumple the note, and I have even seen a man use it to wipe his hands after eating. There is no patriotism, no respect at all. We need to sit up straight and realize that the world around us is like a pool of water - the smallest act will produce the same effect that the tiniest stone will cause to the surface of that pool - ripple effect. Nothing is isolated.
Goodness!!! I cannot believe that. The effrontery of some people. To think some guy would do that.
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