Tag: Lagos living

Everyday Living and Inspiring

.Reading time 6 minutes.

Lately, I’ve been curious about careers in tech, and it’s such a pleasure to have this tech mama share her everyday living and inspire us. Ngusurun Hanior is a wife, mama of 2 amazing boys, a beautiful singer with a heartwarming smile, and a great cook (you need to taste her jollof rice!) Let’s get to meet her. 

I Live In…

Lagos, Nigeria. I moved here in 2011 to be with my husband. The things we do for love…

I am…

A Team Lead at a global tech company. I manage a team of cloud solution support experts and have been in the Tech industry for three years. Before this, I ran a professional janitorial services and office supplies business for three years. We are still in business, now run under hubby’s management (now you know the plug if in need of those services).

My day begins…

At 4:30 am or at 4:00 am if I have to prepare lunch for the children to take to school. My work schedule changes bi-weekly, so I either have to be at the office by 7 am or 1 pm. On a 7 am workday, I have my prayer time, get dressed, and leave the house by 5:30 am. I’m grateful for my nanny who has stayed with us for six years now and helps to get the children ready for school amongst other chores.

Work for me is…

9 hours at the office with numerous meetings, tasks, performance reviews, and people management. My closing time is either 4 pm or 10 pm, depending on the schedule. Sometimes I have to stay back for some meetings with other colleagues or stakeholders from other countries in a different time zone.

As the day unwinds…

It takes another 1:30 mins to 2hrs to get home. It should be a 40-minute drive but takes that long, no thanks to the typical Lagos traffic jam (I wonder where everyone is going to all the time, but I digress). When I’m back home, I take a shower, have dinner or fix dinner (depending on how early I get home), homework reviews with the boys, and of course, I have to listen to different versions of how their day went and settle scores if any. Creating time to catch up with ‘le hubz’ is also very important to me. We end our day with family devotions, and it’s always such a delight to hear the boys pray.

What I enjoy most about my work is…

The platform to interact with individuals across the globe daily, and dishing out some intelligence to counter the impressions some of them have about Nigerians.

The challenging part is…

Laying off an employee, as my work environment is strictly performance-driven. It comes with mixed emotions.

To unwind, I…

Stay indoors pretty much during the weekends (except it’s absolutely necessary to go out) because of how busy my workday schedule is. I spend time with family, sing while le hubz plays the piano, or just get some sleep to rejuvenate. I love to sing and like to check out the latest releases of some of my favorite artists. If any of the songs touch a spot in me, it’ll be on repeat for at least a week. In recent times, I love to research different areas of interest per time. 

If I were to choose between work-life balance or work-life integration…

I’d say work-life balance. It can’t be over-emphasized as it is essential in maintaining mental health and productivity. Surrounding oneself with people that add value and make life easier while prioritizing family and other goals is essential. Thankfully work from home is now becoming the norm. This has helped a lot of individuals find that balance.

If someone were looking to start a career in my field, my advice would be…

You can attain any height you desire. Invest in upskilling yourself. Don’t just work hard, think and act smart. Life is what you make out of it and the perspective with which you look at it.

Bonus Question: Camp in the desert for a night or go a month without internet connection?

Just a day without internet connection is frustrating enough biko bring the desert sleepover on!

Thanks for sharing, Surun!

This resonated with me so much. Surun’s career advice sounds exactly like what I preach every day! I don’t know about the desert sleepover though.

If you’re looking for top-notch professional cleaning services in Nigeria for your office, home, or post-construction, hit her up here. Tell her Iember sent you and you’ll get a good discount.

Of Lagos Danfo Drivers, Abuja Cabbies and Iya Bose

.Reading time 5 minutes.

Moving to Lagos in 2010 for my compulsory National Youth Service came with a huge dose of culture shock, having done Primary School in Benue, Secondary School in Plateau State and University in Zaria. Everything fascinated me; The seemingly seamless stretches of water, the fast-paced nature of the city, the strong commercial presence, the crowd, the way fights broke out spontaneously and insults were hurled out so easily, that awful stench that lingered everywhere from the backstreets of Ebuta Meta to the posh parts of Ikoyi, the yellow ‘danfo’ buses that literally drove bumper-to-bumper.

Bus rides were an exciting part of my stay in Lagos even though I didn’t care much for the sweaty bodies that pressed against mine in the crowded buses or the way the bus conductor shouted abruptly at every bus stop, leaving me with palpitations. The names of bus stops in Lagos usually left me amused- Oshodi-Oke and Oshodi-Isale (which i never got right till I left), Transformer, Century, all sorts of unlikely names, even Cemetery. Uncomfortable as the rides were, I relished the opportunity to watch and study people; the careless drivers, the aggressive bus conductors, the impatient passengers, the drug peddlers who always had that one miracle drug that could cure everything from cancer to a heartbreak. The most amusing passengers were the religious preachers. These ones seemed to have a similar calling to declare an eternity of fire and brimstone for all fornicators and knew it was time to collect an offering when they had successfully manipulated the passengers into feeling guilty. The drivers particularly amazed me, with time i came to look at their recklessness as simply a survival instinct.

I moved to Abuja in January 2012, and it felt like I had lived in Lagos all my life. Every thing seemed so different. Everything except that reckless attitude of commercial drivers, especially the cabbies. This recklessness seems so out of place in Abuja with its wide paved roads, bright lights and easy-going populace. Four years later and I have come to the conclusion (true or not) that it’s the same danfo drivers in Lagos who moved here to become cab drivers. I however won’t make an excuse for the Abuja cabbies like I did the Lagos danfo drivers. Here, It’s beyond a survival instinct. It seems they are simply on a mission to frustrate me to tears every morning.

Have you ever questioned if the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) is manifest in your life? Just visit Abuja for a week and drive around or commute by taxi.
Abuja taxi drivers will test your patience and self control! They will make you question your love walk. I can assure you the week won’t pass by without one ‘along’ driver making an abrupt stop right in front of your moving car because he sees a potential passenger. Yes, the 50 Naira he’s about to make is more important to him than your life.

Then the old Yoruba cabbies? Ah, they will test your gentleness! Those ones understand English perfectly till you guys get lost or it’s time to pay, then all he understands is Yoruba. The younger Yoruba cabbies aren’t as annoying as their fathers. But i must warn you that those ones have to make a stop at ‘Iya Bose’s’ to ‘make change‘ and have a quick shot of agbo, especially those mornings when you’re late for work or an appointment. By the way I noticed that the Iya Bose around the corner from us now sells ‘kpomo‘ in addition to the agbo… But I digress

What have been your experiences like with the cabbies and bus drivers? What has been the greatest test of your patience with these guys?