If you are working a job you hate and you have thought of all the possible ways to resign from that job, we advise you to take some cues from these few Nigerians. These options might be a bit dramatic, but trust us, they work.
Tony, 30
I used to work at this job where I thought I was hired as a Business Development Executive, it was when I started the job that I realized I was a glorified marketer. The company kept changing the job description to different sweet names, to distract me from the fact that they were owing me 2 months salary.
I worked there for almost 6 months when the job was stressing me out. I wanted to resign, but it was my birthday month. I waited till my birthday on the 11th. Didn’t do any meaningful work from 1st – 10th. On my birthday, I made sure I collected the cake they made for me and had a good time with my colleagues.
I sent in my resignation a few days after that. It was a handwritten resignation letter I dropped with HR. They were shocked.
I have sworn to never work in that role again. Thank God I now work in a role I’m comfortable with. I no longer have unreasonable targets and MPR.
Temi, 35
I was at the job for almost 3 months before I quit. I was learning but I wasn’t enjoying it. And I felt like I’m being pressured to do what I don’t like. It was a programming gig and it was just catching the rave back then. I was into System repairs, computer networking and security implementation before I started the training.
One day, I walked up to the owner and told him I was quitting the next day. He drilled me with questions and then offered to pay me 30k per month. It wasn’t a bad offer but I could also make that doing what I like on my own. I made him understand it’s not about the money and we maintained a cordial relationship.
Onome, 25
I used to work as a German language tutor at a language company in Lagos in 2018. I was at the company for 6 months. My salary got paid quickly in the first month, and I thought that was the protocol at the company till the second month came. I didn’t get paid for the next 4 months, but I still get going because I didn’t want to be bored at home.
The last straw was the morning I trekked from my house at Adeniji to Obalende, I had only 500 Naira with me and needed it to get home in the night. I woke up the next morning, very angry and frustrated, I called my boss and the HR person and started cursing both of them.
Luckily for me, my friend took me to the citizen mediation centre to make a report. I made the report and threatened my boss with a lawsuit. I got paid 3 days after sending out the threat of a lawsuit, I was paid 4 and a half months worth of salary. I don’t know how they got the money so fast, but I don’t care.
The experience made me leave Lagos, I am back in Ibadan where life is a lot saner. I only freelance now and get paid upfront.
Rotimi, 33
Last year, I worked at a digital marketing firm. I worked there for a year. The company kept cutting salaries because of covid, even though clients were paying. I was working from home during the pandemic and always had to use my money to pay for electricity and internet.
One day, I got tired of the job and sent my work tools back to them via dispatch. I also sent them a resignation letter and deleted myself from all the group chats. I don’t know how they reacted to my resignation because I have not picked any of their calls since I quit.
Chichi, 28
I used to work as a customer care provider, I was at the job for 8 months when I quit. The pay was terrible – I could barely take care of myself. I was basically working for transport money. The worst thing about the job was the partial grading system. I used to work 8 hours every day and still get graded 4 marks out of 10.
On the day I resigned, I woke up in a foul mood. The team leader called me and started yelling. I can’t remember what made me decide to quit that day. I sent a peace sign to the group and left. I blocked all my colleagues because I didn’t want to hear their inputs on how I should have handled things better. I don’t regret leaving the job – it was a rubbish job.
Tobe, 27
I started work as a graduate trainee in a financial services firm, but I had become a junior analyst by the time I resigned. I was there for a year by the time I left. I was very indifferent about the job and it also didn’t help that I was planning to go for my masters.
I resigned from the job right after they paid bonuses. I didn’t plan it and it almost looked like I waited till the bonus was paid before I resigned. I had forgotten about the clause in my contract that made it obligatory for me to work at the company for two years. I eventually had to pay them one million Naira as a release clause.
Pearl
I worked with someone for 3 months. He was very rude a disrespectful. He never stuck with agreements, he also constantly undercut my remunerations and accused me of swindling him.
He called me a fool during one of his usual rants, I cut the call on him and ignored all his other calls. He went on to call the person who connected us, and luckily for me, he too was fed up with his bad behaviour. He went as far as getting his wife to call me. I explained her husband’s ineptitude to her – she had nothing else to say and only apologized for his actions.
He texted a week later, about the job we were previously doing together. He acted like he was ready to get serious and tried to play it off as though nothing happened. I have not replied to his text since then. I am teaching myself to place a premium on my perceived dignity above all other things.
