Abuja's Poor Customer Service Culture

Courtesy of: The Africa Cafe.

We often complain that Nigeria lacks a service culture and it's true. Who hasn't had to endure long waits at a restaurant, bank or supermarket while a crowd of seemingly unoccupied staff members pointedly ignore you until the one person assigned to that desk or cash register finally shows up? But as a young, single woman in this city - arguably at the bottom of the city's social totem pole - such bad service can be taken to absurd extremes. There are a number of places that I have simply stopped going to because I am tired of being insulted.

Now before you rush to call me sensitive, let me make my case: why should I spend my hard-earned money on your establishment if you or your staff treat me like a second-class citizen or make me feel in any way inadequate because of my gender, age or my perceived social class? If you can’t be bothered to smile or greet me when you render a service, or if you treat my requests with contempt or indifference, or if you’re going to argue with me when you've made a mistake instead of apologising, why should I still dip my hands into my pocket to pay you?