Nigeria is a place where the English language has come to die simply because we reinvent meaning order than what the native speaker taught us.
A gateman or gatekeeper whose duties and meaning is an attendant employed to control who goes through a gate is seen as a security guard while a man who bears an arm to protect lives and property is an assistant for personal house chores. We saw recently how a policeman carried food collected at a buffet while the principal walked majestically in his before.
The same is the trajectory of the sacked janitors of the Chicken Republic, a popular fast-food eatery. They are called security guards but their jobs are to open and close doors for customers and perhaps report suspicious moves within the premises of where they work which is about five percent of what security guard entails.
The “Happy boys” as they are called simply understand that their employers are ignorant of what security guard entails and played a fast one by reinventing the job descriptions as entertainers rather than being janitors. They saw an opportunity and lashed at it but emotion aside, every business is guided by rules also is a job by rules.
A job description is a formal account of an employee’s responsibilities. It can be single or multiple. A lecturer can’t do the job of a non-academic staff while a cash teller can’t be seen doing security in a bank.
I am a multi-media journalist whose duties are to shoot videos, pictures, and write reports for my employer(s), not an accountant to keep records of inflow and outflow for Reuters and so, any time I choose the difference I expect Reuters to fire me.
A janitor whose job is to open and close doors at the eatery chose to dance instead crossed the line of the job description, hence firing or dismal is just by the corner. Meanwhile, the Chicken Republic, where the “Happy Boys” worked has denied sacking them in a statement on Friday.
A statement thus read: “We’d like to thank our loyal followers and customers for the feedback received on the various social media threads.
“As a company, Chicken Republic encourages all staff to have fun at work, and this is evident in the multiple songs, dances, and “Nice, Nice!” chants that you will often hear in our stores, whilst you are patronizing them.
“It is disappointing that some people may have the impression that the Chicken Republic fired these security guards for dancing in our stores, this is not true, and hence we need to set the record straight. We take the safety and security of our customers, staff, and assets very seriously and as such, we outsource our security to various private security companies that specialize in these services.
“When the management of the private security company saw the two security guards dancing in the video, they had concerns that the security officers, whilst dancing, were not necessarily conducting their duties responsibly and as such, were probably not fully focused on their core responsibility, which is, your safety and your security.
“There are always multiple sides to every story, and as a company, we have taken your feedback very seriously. We have followed up with the security company, and they have assured us that the security guards have not been fired, have been paid their dues, and have been offered some retraining.
“We value your opinions and have heard you! We can assure you that we are in close communication with the security company and will ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect.”
However, I am glad to hear that a Port-Harcourt-based clergyman has offered these two janitors scholarships to further their education which is exactly what they need but to support their dancing on duties as right is a capital WRONG and No. They were wrong dancing rather than manning the door except their jobs description entails dancing, and manning the doors hence the sledgehammer!
Well, fine and good as some may say that they are adding colors to the janitor’s job but it consisted nothing but a distraction from the employer’s viewpoint! They are not traffic controllers that entertain commuters and car owners.
They should utilize the opportunity accorded them as they got what they deserved which is a Scholarship to further their education because as the clergyman said, they are too young for “security guards“ job as they can now enroll in a Performing Arts or Theatre Art course to thrill the world with dance steps since they wanna chill with the big boys, dey wanna run kiti kiti, and wanna dey run kata kata. No fit drink water drop cup!
For me, they got what they deserved; a sack for a mistake in the line of duty and a scholarship, as a miracle that they will “sin” no more in the line of duty.
