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*AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR OLUSEYI MAKINDE WITH RESPECT TO iSON XPERIENCES*

I was in Minna, Niger State, serving my fatherland, when I heard that you emerged governor of the prestigious Pace Setter state- my home and I was so elated, having found you more prospective to govern. Even before rounding off my service year, I already had a job in Minna but I yearned to work under your administration, as I presume it holds bulk of promises. Two months after passing out, I relocated to Ibadan, where I reside with my grandmother.

Unfortunately, since my entry in January 2020, I couldn't get any promising job. I did turn down three unpromising ones anyway and decided to volunteer as a teacher with Queen's School, Apata, in a bid to give back to my society rather than working with private schools, most of which specialize in sapping and exploiting their employees. Incidentally, TESCOM form came out and I applied in the stream of hundred thousand of other aspiring applicants, while only ten thousand were going to be employed anyway. This gives credibility to the fact that only those who either "bribe their way through or have connections" will get the job. But I decided to trust in your integrity to bring about an above-board selection, based on merit. So I waited, before the outbreak of the novel virus disrupted even plans yet to be conceived, as those earmarked have been put on hold.

It is noteworthy to reinstate the fact that I live with my grandmother who is a retired principal, to whom I constitute a liability despite graduating with a very good grade before I decided to use the remains of my NYSC proceeds to start yam flour(elubo) business, which I still do with pride. Coincidentally, I got privileged to work with iSON, on a part-time basis of course, which accords me the opportunity to attend to my business in the day time as the work runs between 7pm to 12am.

Having foregrounded the forgone, I hereby write to formally emphasize some core indicators to the fact that the company does not deserve the condemnation and crucifixion the media and the populace are meting at it. About three weeks ago, I noticed that the number of calls we pick at work has drastically reduced. Prior to that time, we do pick almost sixty thousand calls daily, but subsequently, it diminished to about ten thousand, which provoked curiosity amidst us all. We were later informed that the company, has in an attempt to curb the effect of the pandemic, consequently, made provision for some of our colleagues to work from home, while others were asked to go on leaves. Personally, my daily inbound calls were about a hundred and fifty within the duration of my five-hour shift, before things fell out of normalcy. Just before the closure, my calls were not even up to forty and I could not help wondering with my mind wandering for answers as to what was going on.

Sir, I beg your indulgence to consider objectively the situation at hand, as against the sentiment with which others besiege the occurrence. It is no news that the pandemic is a global disaster, which no one can boast of swift adaptation; not even the developed countries, let alone private organizations.

I was listening to the news on radio yesterday and they mentioned how we usually get ourselves congested in the buses that convey us to and fro the office, which I affirm but I am embattled within as to why humans only point out the demerits of others, leaving out the meritorious and commendable. Do we expect the company to instantaneously, fully adapt to such a spontaneous misfortune? Yes, many obviously do, but in reality, it was never feasible.

Even your admirable administration had to put a stop to the activities of the public servants at a time and have them resume later when the necessary precautions were put in place, all in a bid to curtail the spread of this undefined, ravaging virus, which I commend. However, you'll agree to the essentiality of the telecommunication sector and so, we could not lock-up, hence the seemingly slow pace at which we were adapting to the situation as alleged by the media. But that has no iota of truth. Our temperatures are regularly checked before entrance into the office, after which, we wash our hands with soap under running water. Alongside, was a regular supply of alcohol-based hand sanitizers placed at strategic locations within the premises. Biometrics machines through which attendance status were captured before the outbreak, have all been disabled. Needless to say, the company gave every of its employee nose mask, which everyone was using compulsorily. About not maintaining social distance, I honestly do not understand what else needed to be done: in a row that normally accommodated twelve agents, is having five not considerable enough?

Fundamentally, I was awed at the consequential response of the company, which in a bid to adhere strictly to safety measures, rented a big hall, with spacious bed spaces, on the first floor of the building, bought mattresses and fans, which as expected, the media decided to turn a blind eye at, owing to their determination to dent the charming image of the company, by amassing false information. The cost of all these miscellaneous expenditures, I supposed, was enough to arouse some humane feelings in the media. But I was wrong. By the virtue of their profession, the media are supposed to uphold fairness and only disseminate the truth to the general public. But their response to this situation, which defines propaganda, contradicts the tenets they profess.

Permit me to analyze the necessary adaptation the company had to incorporate, part of which, considering their urgency, it had begun: provision of systems and other accessories for agents to work from home. The reason the company cannot afford to have all its employees work from home at the moment, is because of supervision, which you will agree with me, may not be effective considering the nature of the job. Some agents may not work, but eccentrically carry out their shifts, to the detriment of the company. So the company debuted working-from-home anyway just to decongest the call centre environment. Before things were blown out of proportion, the company was planning on having more employees work from home.Shall we skip the cost of these unprecedentedly planned accessories as well as daily allowances paid to these set of employees?



When I gaze at my colleagues, I see potential criminals, prostitutes, fraudsters, kidnappers to mention a few, but for iSON Xperiences. Shall we then cut the head to ameliorate the pain we feel?


But for the constraint of time, I will have related to you all the stigmatization, which we have been subjected to at the devouring hands of many. Nevertheless, permit me to highlight a few: spouses of our employees are told that all the workers at iSON have been declared positive so they need to stay away from work without pay! Do they even think about the effect of such pseudo allegation?

Hospitals aren't attending to our employees or their family members at the moment because of how the media is painting the entire situation; same as obvious refusal to allow iSON employees into banks and supermarkets around the Ibadan north-west area.

I implore you, believing in your discretion, to tender justice not only with mercy but also fairness. Someone on the news was saying, "The government should sue the company..." on what premise? I wonder if he would have made that same unwarranted comment if he were in the itching shoes of the company. I prefer not to point out the fact that the media correspondents have twisted the situation into some sensational news piece garnished with false information, authorities who came to interview the company, were actually not wearing masks or any other recommended precautionary kits (kindly, check with the pictures online). What a contradiction to what they are advocating!

stigmatization in the form of libellous and scandalous information cannot bring about the victory we hope for. I implore you and the reading audience not to treat us like Osu(outcast); it kills more than any virus.

As I close, I believe you will see beyond the allegations agog the media and objectively handle this issue as you have always done.

To this end, I have a poem to define this stigmatization:

*The Coroner Hasn't Declared Corona!*

Not certain of our status,
Yet in good hope.
But your fuss,
Our fear aggravates
And nomalcy, symptoms seem.
We felt our heart throbbing
But they say, "praying are we"
Why pronounce guilty before diagnosis?
Why label us a predator
Of your voracious allegations?
Perchance, the negator wins
And means avail,
We shall isolate from you
To skip touching stories.



PLEASE HELP STOP THIS STIGMATISATION - IT KILLS FASTER THEN THE VIRUS


*Ayo.*