Body odour
You can have everything in life but this
It is not my fault that I am a woman of modest income who has to take public transport to get from point A to point B. Now that I think about it, it is as though you decided to take the laws into your hands and punish me for this.
You reside in the equatorial tropical region which is defined by the Tropic of Cancer to the north and the Tropic of Capricorn to the south. Wearing over four layers of clothing is not a fashion statement you can afford especially if you have to take public transit like the rest of us.
To think, I had prayed against any destructive arrow that might tamper with my day before I left the house in the morning. Tell me now why you encountered me still. I was initially hesitant to believe that someone as respectable as you, dressed in the coloniser’s suit, could possibly smell that bad, but after a few bus stops and nearly every other passenger had alighted, it became glaring that you were the one all along.
Smelling awful should be unacceptable by any standard in a continent which holds a vast majority of the world’s natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable. Speaking of which, it’s Friday, for crying out loud; I thought we had an unspoken agreement as a country to dress in our native clothes. Wearing the coloniser’s suit on a Friday is an example of a problem that warrants disciplinary action, and these are some of the pressing issues I’ll address the moment I become supreme leader.
Access to clean water and the time needed to cater to personal hygiene can be a luxury but recognising these are necessities can help better prioritise them. So, if you had to pick between food and bathing soap, the opportunity cost ought to be food. In another case where you have to pick between staying connected to the Internet and buying extra clothing so you can do your laundry often and not have to repeat clothes soaked with perspiration from the previous day. I believe you know what you should do.
You are smart people. But before some will be quick to point out that a number of our traditional attires as a continent are unsuitable for the workplace. I say that is for them to worry about; as for me, I believe we can make it work with God on our side. For instance, if you are a Yoruba engineer who needs to visit and service telecommunications masts, you go to work wearing your Agbada — no excuses. I think there would be no justification for not showing up in your full regalia.
As an Akwa Ibom doctor, if you are called in for an emergency, you have to go in your Itong Ofong followed by your double wrapper Not Iba joined with a few beads, cowries on the neck, followed by a hand fan, and a purse with an umbrella with a headpiece knotted into incredible shapes and patterns. The patient should understand that there is a lot at stake here and that you will be able to perform at your best if only you show up at your best.
There is no excuse for ruining people’s days with an unpleasant odour. The first step to advancing as a society is for us to make it our responsibility to put ourselves in the shoes of others and get things like this right.
