Due to the nature of his job, Miriam’s dad was barely home and whenever he was, he would keep crunching numbers on the calculator to balance out the ledgers for the next day’s accounting.
Being a clerk at the government finance office called for his utmost performance and accuracy. He was a principled man, and carrying out his duties to the best level of expertise was something he prided himself in, he would usually boast that there had never been an incorrect entry or any incident of an account been mismanaged since the day he started at the office. Though Miriam had introduced him to Microsoft Excel and spreadsheet as alternatives for his tedious work, he refused to adapt to the times and insisted on working with his trusted calculator.
Miriam loved numbers and she loved crunching them too, she would sit at her dad’s feet most nights and watch him open,sort and amend files before finally closing that record.
She wanted nothing more than to follow in her dad’s footsteps, but the one thing she couldn’t live with was the time constraints the work came with. It was an exhausting job and the pay wasn’t that lucrative. This led to her decision of starting her own accounting firm and working for herself than under the government. Dad had worked at the same office for 18years now and she had watched him at his routine for as long as she could remember, she was used to serving him meals at the same table he worked and clearing the table after he was done, she had grown accustomed to filling his flask with hot water that he would pour into his coffee mug at intervals to keep him alert as he worked despite his commitment to his job, there had just been minute increase in their standard of living since his paychecks never passed minimum wage, and minimum wage could barely cater for a family of 5, it could barely cover monthly expenses, not counting children school fees and house rent.
Mum supported the upkeep of the family through her business, she sold large bales of materials at retail price and size, her sales income was usually split into two, one to put back into the business another to help cater for the family and even the fees for the 3 children. Through this system the family was rarely in the red and they were comfortable.
Miriam liked Labour Day, because asides Sundays that was the only day the she and her siblings get to spend a full day with Dad, playing indoor games, exchanging tales of events some silly and others with lessons in them, there was the eating and binge watching movies together part of the day. She loved her family as it was and was grateful for the sacrifices Dad and Mom made for them, her reason for wanting to be an accountant was so her dad would be proud of, and she was determined to excel.
This year’s worker’s day was moved to may 3 in Nigeria. This day also called Labour Day is a day marked to celebrate all Working-class citizens especially those holding government positions.
It is a day off for the general population and schools, hence most businesses are closed and time is taken out to celebrate laborers.
At LEMA PLAN INTERNATIONAL, we celebrate every worker and encourage you in your service to humanity. Have a wonderful holiday today, remember you are appreciated.