USA Africa Dialogue Series - “OGA AT THE TOP:” Do you know the address of where you work?

Everywhere you turn to, there's a reference to the new phrase in town. "Oga at the top." I'm pretty sure Mr Obafaiye Shem had no inkling of what his Interview on Channels TV would cause. The Lagos state commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) was guest on "Sunrise" and was asked some questions relating to the website of the organisation. He couldn't categorically state what the site address was and subsequently found himself in a hotter seat than expected. He did however say that "he can't say one and then his oga at the top might say another one"

This phrase somehow stuck and Nigerians have been having a field day with the video. It's amazing to see the amount of merchandise, creative produce, musicals, videos and computer games that have emanated from this one gaffe. Everywhere you go and almost in all conversations, there's a reference to the "oga at the top" I'm not here to flog this horse that doesn't want to die but to pick out some realities that might go unnoticed as a result of this situation.

While many of us concentrated on the humour content of the video and proceeded to make T shirts, mix songs and videos and create games, the underlying situation remains. Is this a general occurrence in our Institutions? How is that top ranking officials do not know the online location of the organisation they represent? This is completely similar to not knowing the physical (street) address of your office. I mean, If you don't know where you work, how can you direct people there?

I heard and read that as a result of this viral video, Mr Shem has been suspended. Questions arise; was he suspended because of the embarrassment the video caused? If the video wasn't viral, would he have been suspended? Does his "oga at the top" even know the correct web address? It was okay to laugh about, I mean his gesticulations and facial expressions were priceless but when it all comes down to it, could it be that he was being honest when he gave the address as ww.nscdc ? We may never know the real situation except he tells us but I'm sure Mr Shem would avoid the media like a plague from this day forth. So I won't bank on that.

On the issue of his suspension, some feel it was uncalled for, others feel it's justifiable. The thing is; when such things happen in Nigeria, it is almost common practice for the "ogas at the top" to take some action just so it shows they are working and 'on top' of the situation. I wasn't surprised when I heard of the suspension and it's just a pity that Mr Shem had to be the scapegoat. Some may say "it's not in his job description to know a website address" I ask; how can you be the area head of an institution and not be familiar with details of the organisation? Heading for such an interview, you would expect that preparation would be top notch. But that was not the case. Read More

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