Chapter 9: The Layoff List

Once everybody sit down, oga talk, “I no go waste time. The economy bad. HQ talk say make we lay off. Dem first talk fifty, but una be my people. After my beg, HQ gree make we do only thirty.”

Oga voice carry weight. You fit hear pin drop. Even the office AC dey make noise pass everybody. I dey peep people face—fear dey everywhere.

I nearly laugh.

If no be say the matter serious, I for burst laugh. Oga dey play politics. As Lagos big, na so e dey full with sharp men.

HQ never plan more than thirty. Oga just dey do show.

All na office drama. Who sabi, sabi.

He even give me list of over sixty, talk make I pick thirty.

I remember as oga give me long list, say, “Abeg, just help me reduce am.” I just dey look am, dey wonder wetin he expect me to do.

But I just bone, dey play along.

Na the only way to survive office—pretend say you no know wetin dey happen.

As he announce am, everybody dey fear.

Some dey fidget, some dey whisper. Even the ones wey get confidence before, now dey silent.

My colleague rush ask, “Oga, when the layoff go start?”

He raise hand, voice dey high. Others dey look am, some dey frown. For my mind, I dey laugh. Oga just look am once, then look away.

“Today. From today, thirty go go. But even as you dey go, we still be friends. I wish una well,” oga talk.

The words heavy. Even though oga try smile, everybody dey tense. Nobody wan lose job for this economy.

Room quiet, everybody dey reason.

For that silence, you fit hear person heartbeat. Some people dey rub hand, some dey pray quietly. Some dey press phone dey Google "prayer for job loss," others dey whisper Psalm 23 under breath.

Oga continue, “I know say una wan start to work hard now, but e too late. We don check una since last month. Today, specialist go call una for severance. Na all.”

People dey reason which kind specialist. Everybody dey hope say e no go reach them. Small time, oga waka out, carry his own wahala go.

With that, he waka commot—he no wan see wahala—leave everybody dey look each other.

People just dey sigh, dey whisper. Some dey complain for Yoruba, others dey pray for Hausa. My own mind just dey blank.

Anxiety full everywhere. People rush HR, but HR self just dey hear the thing.

HR dey act confused. Na only oga sabi true list. E shock everybody, even the ones wey dey form sharp.

Where HR get experience, na there corruption easy. HQ wan make oga handle the list directly—even some HR dey go.

HR na like dispatch—dem dey fear for their own head. Nobody trust anybody again. Even cleaner dey wonder if dem go sack am.

For this tension, people dey suspect say the layoff specialist fit dey their front. Everybody dey look each other with side eye.

Everybody dey reason say anybody fit be the hatchet man. Na so office politics dey play.