Chapter 8: Who Next Go Chop Am?

This incident make me reason well.

As I reach house, I dey think. Musa sharp, but e sabi dodge blame. Zainab slack, but system sef no help.

Musa just dodge blame give Zainab, and truly, she slack. Anybody wey enter factory suppose get ID check.

For Naija, na so blame dey fly. If anything spoil, who get loud voice go escape first.

Before, labour company dey do the check, send info to HR, HR no dey stress.

We dey form, dey trust too much. Nobody dey cross-check again.

So this time, dem just relax—wait for labour company to send info.

HR dey sleep for matter. E shock me.

But see how e take scatter.

E just explode—na small mistake, na so company fit spoil.

Sade come my office after Zainab waka. We gist, she say she dey fear quality wahala, fit find another job soon.

She dey check LinkedIn every morning. Na so e reach.

I joke, “No worry, maybe the next unlucky one no go be you.”

She smile small, but e no reach her eye.

Before I finish, we hear oga dey shout from his office.

His voice loud, even cleaner for corridor hear am.

“Where you dey before? 500,000—na you go pay am?”

Table shake, pen fly. Everybody freeze.

Everywhere quiet. Sade rush go see drama.

She tiptoe for corridor, dey peep with Amaka.

Soon, Old Bayo from Logistics come out, face downcast.

The man face long, shoe dirty, e no greet anybody.

Old Bayo and me dey relate. E get small sharpness, but work dey okay.

We dey share groundnut for meeting sometimes. E no dey do pass himself.

I wan send Amaka—our ‘company intelligence center’—to find gist, but Old Bayo come my office himself.

He no knock, just enter, lock door, sit down heavy for chair.

He lock door, begin curse Musa.

He just dey vex, voice dey tremble. 'This Musa go kill person for this company.'

I guess am—na logistics cost go up, and Old Bayo chop oga shout for asking for sign-off.

True true, Old Bayo talk:

He break down the matter. Shipping cost jump, container delay. Oga no wan hear story.

“I tell Musa since to book container early, I give am the quotes, but he insist say he go find cheaper one. He no know say war dey for Red Sea? Shipping cost don skyrocket.”

He even show me email. I shake head.

I pour am water.

I tap his shoulder, tell am make e cool down. E no go kill himself for work wey no get sense.

“No worry, as long as we get container, no wahala if e cost.”

I try form encouragement, but e hard.

“Na the wahala be that. He dey find cheap, the cost double wetin I see. I say fine, as long as we fit ship. But then he say make I tell the old forwarder to keep old price. Dem refuse. After four, five days of back-and-forth, war escalate, ships detour Cape of Good Hope, everywhere container finish.”

Old Bayo dey nearly cry. E say e beg Musa like beggar for Oshodi, but no show.

Wetin be this? For this kind situation, you suppose book sharp sharp, but he still dey price.

For Naija, sharp guy no dey price for war time.

Director Bolaji still dey Europe, dey call to push for shipment. We already late by one week. If we no ship, na 10% penalty, future order go spoil.

Bayo dey sweat. Penalty go kill commission.

At last, we use air freight.

All of us shock. Nobody fit believe say we dey move container with air.

Goods worth about one million, shipping cost 500,000.

Na so business dey die for Naija.

Musa tell Bolaji, “Why we no just wait? Penalty na only 100,000, that one save us 400,000 compared to air freight.”

Everybody weak. Oga no fit believe wetin he hear.

Bolaji vex, “If you dey here, I for slap you. You wan make dem no ever order from us again?”

Bayo even hold Bolaji hand that day, dey beg make e no sack everybody at once.

“No be my fault. Blame war. Besides, why you no sign FCA that time? Why you sign DDU?”

Musa dey form lawyer, dey throw blame left and right. I dey shake head for background.

All I hear na Bolaji dey curse for phone.

Him voice nearly blow speaker. Even Amaka dey run from corridor.

Exactly—blame Zainab for intern wahala, blame war for shipping, next time maybe blame global warming. Musa never wrong.

If dem catch cold, Musa go say na weather. If dem lose key, e go say na cleaner.

Funny enough, Musa logic almost make sense. Because of this shipment, company lose big—pass the value of goods.

E shock all of us. The thing pain me, but na only laugh I fit laugh.

But that one na another story.

This company na film trick.