By Dayo Emmanuel
I was at the computer village, Ikeja to fix my faulty laptop today.
I earlier desired to buy a fairly used system if affordable for a replacement.
When I asked for the price of one on diaplay, I told myself it’s more sensible to repair the old one. This economy teaches us to spend on maintenance instead of buying a fairly used laptop for ₦120,000. Wisdom is profitable to direct.
While waiting for my turn, a GoKada rider came into the shop. Apparently he is a friend to my laptop repairer. He was so dejected, looking tired. He told his friend, ‘It’s almost 3pm and I never receive any order today.’
While I felt for him, I decided to engage him at least to cheer him up.
During our conversation, I gathered that the power bikes GoKada use for delivery services cost about ₦600,000 each and on higher purchase, it costs ₦2,500,000.
The guy narrated further that each rider delivers between ₦3,500 and ₦5,000 daily depending on their agreement with the Indian company until the ₦2,500,000 is paid.
Then he shared a pathetic story. One of his colleagues who signed for a bike two years ago had just completed his ₦2,500,000. He went to meet the administrators of the company to sign out the bike since he had finished paying by instalments.
Instead of releasing the bike, they brought up a case that there were days he didn’t make remittance.
This I noted as injustice because he said the guy had finished paying the agreed ₦2.5m, though I don’t have details of the contract.
This family man made several trips to the company, pleading the bike be released since he has records of payment of the ₦2.5m.
The managers however disabled his App, making it difficult for him to receive orders.
So yesterday, he went to the office again to plead the App be re-activated. The IT department was reluctant. The staff in charge explained things to him and apparently he was afraid of being penalised.
In frustration, the man decided to return home. Somehow along his way, he was involved in an accident. His colleagues explained he must have been absent minded due to his frustration. He was later found with his bike under a moving trailer. The narrator showed the gory pictures which I couldn’t behold a second time.
The man died after several trips to take possession of the bike he had worked hard to own. This is how we keep losing people needlessly.
I asked the narrator what the company is going to do for the deceased. He said they promised to take care of the burial arrangements despite that he left young children behind. How cruel this business enterprise can be.
Then I left the pathetic story to discuss the working condition of the mourning riders left in the company. I asked about the contract. I found that these men in the quest to put food on the table for their families had entered into the contract many now regret.
I told him, “Next time when you are signing a contract, endeavour to get a lawyer to read the papers given you, ask him to explain what you are about to sign.”
I told him “I’m sure the company is not liable since you have signed in agreement. You are complaining the terms and condition of work but not talking about what you signed.”
He paused and felt bad. He thanked me for advising him about having a lawyer to interpret his contracts in case of another time.
This is what lack of information can cause anybody. A number of these riders are graduates but frustration and illiteracy combined have enrolled them into slavery in their own fatherland.
Again, I don’t have full information of their plight of which they are agitating and planning to seek redress.
I know things are not smiling but I’m sure the outfit is smiling to the bank after putting a ₦600,000 bike on higher purchase at ₦2,500,000.
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