Mr Gardener's suggestion and update...

Moving into a new house requires a lot and oh yes one begins to experience a lot of new things. The staff in my house are giving me a source of concern or should i say they're not ceasing to amaze me.

They recently installed prepaid metres for all the flats in my house and i was a bit fascinated by it since i didn't have it in my old house. I discovered how to recharge it first of all my neighbours so i kinda helped everybody out with theirs so i was feeling like a kingpin...

Well like two days after, i had an issue with electricity so i was asking the security for electrician's number when the gardener came up to me looking all decked up and smiling..He bent a bit greeting me and said 'aunty good epening'. I said 'Yahaya good evening, how're you today'?. He said 'aunty pine, fine thank you. he was smiling again'. I thought ok maybe Yahaya has won the jackpot..

Then he said 'aunty you know say this metre e dey run well well. E go good make we work for am'. I didn't get him so i said 'what?'
He said 'my brother e dey po (for) nefa (nepa) and e pit helf you work po am. E go just adjust am small and the money no go run. Na only small money you go gip am'
I got the message, this guy wanted me to defraud PHCN. For what reason? I was a bit taken aback so i just told him ok.
Like a lot of people will say 'my hand fell'. Later i thought of a million and one things i could have said to him but i was just too shocked. I didn't know people did such things with prepaid metres

I would never defraud, it's part of the reason our beloved country is still where it is now. Am i overreacting? Or will you take your gardener's suggestion?

Meanwhile, i thought i had seen the end of it with my security guy's begging...only to be wowed. I kept getting calls from a carpenter i used to do a few things in the house to the point that i felt i was being stalked.

While jogging in the morning sometimes last week, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere when i slowed down and greeted me, i wondered where he came out of. He wanted to know if i knew about the person in my BQ and if they needed a wardrobe as he could construct for them. This was after he has called randomly thrice. I said i'd let him know if i found out, he also wanted to know if i was travelling out of Abuja.

Later in the day, he paid a visit, said his wife wanted to say hello...in my head, i was like what for...then i told them to come in, she said no, they would stay outside but she wanted to see me. Then she started the cock and bull story of how her husband had not been paid by people who owe him, how everyone in their family was sick, the carpenter even wanted me to see his nose since there was a boil in there...how gross...the long and short of the story, aunty please help us.

I was speechless, the stalking made sense...i went inside to talk to my friend that was visiting and he suggested i give them some money so they could go away. I wanted to give them 1k but ended up giving them 2k because he thought 1k was too small (i felt bad i didn't follow my instincts afterwards)...anyway so i gave them 2k and sent them off.

Next i walked to the gate and had a frank talk with one of our security guys, never let anyone in unless you clear with me. See me see peace o!

Christmas was fun, we were in Lagos for a few days and it was a flurry of activities. Hubby got me a nice perfume and i also got a nice swatch wristwatch and a blackberry phone from my friends...Hope you guys had a fun christmas and remember the reason for the season- Christ the saviour!

Cheers y'all

When should i give?

I'm a bit confused as per what circumstances one should give people money. I deliberately don't give beggars money, i don't believe in it cos a lot of them are actually ok and fit enough to work, i'd rather give someone i know who is ready to work and actually struggling to make a living than just open my purse and dash everyone who begs on the street money.

I remember i became tougher on this issue when one Sunday in my church a lady approached me with 2 children in hand and said she needed transport fare to get she and her children home from church. I immediately pitied her and asked where she lived, asked how much would get her there and even added extra. I walked away and came back to meet this woman telling someone else the same story. Apparently this was her source of income, i felt used and since then i would always direct any such people to the welfare department in church. They give stuff after service on sundays. This was about 3 years ago, will it be surprising to say i still saw the same woman a few weeks back, still holding two children and doing the same trade-begging. Why would an able bodied woman use such tactics to extort money from people? It's beyond me.

There's also this guy who has told my hubby this same 'i need transport fare' story in church almost every sunday for over a year. He makes a point of sending him to the welfare department like me. I wonder if the guy doesn't remember his face cos he asks him every Sunday and gets the same response.

So we recently moved into a new place where the security guys and gardener are paid by the tenants. I have given them a tip once in a while when i send them to do stuff and maybe that has made them bold i wonder. A few days ago, the two security guys were both talking about how they were expected to send money to their folks back in the village, even the younger looking of both of them said he was married and had a son, i was like wow. They jokingly said 'aunty make una help us o' and i responded by saying God will help us all.

A few days later, i heard the door bell early in the morning, i was home alone and wasn't expecting anybody only for me to open the door and it was one of the security guys. I asked what he wanted, he said they were suffering and even money to eat was a problem and he wanted to ask me to give them anything i could. I thought that was really bold of him. He complained they were only paid half salary for last month, i just moved into the house this month and i don't know how true this is. He earns 15 grand a month. Unfortunately for him, i had no cash in the house and i told him so. I asked if he wanted food stuff as i could give him that but he said no, he wanted money. E gba mi o (help me)

So i was wondering, is this right? I have given them stuff a few times though i haven't lived in the house too long. I try to extend a geneours hand to people who work around me and i know are in need but is it right for my security guy to knock on my door like that? I just wonder

What he did has really turned me off to be honest and i almost find it difficult to give them anything now, what do you guys think?