“A Week in the Life“聽is a weekly 91大神 series that explores the working-class struggles of Nigerians. It captures the very spirit of what it means to hustle in Nigeria and puts you in the shoes of the subject for a week.
18-year-old Susan* is learning to sew to keep herself busy during the ASUU strike. But in Nigeria, apprentices are at the mercy of their bosses. And Susan鈥檚 typical week is full of more downs than ups. Find out why tailors lie and how she鈥檚 making the best of the ASUU strike in this week in her life.
MONDAY
I like Mondays because they鈥檙e the most chilled days of my week. People have collected their dresses during the weekend, and even though sometimes, we receive clothes on Monday, it鈥檚 not plenty like that. I was looking forward to a chill day as usual, but my day started badly when I was harassed by street boys.
My dad asked me to help him cash a cheque on my way to work. The bank isn鈥檛 far from my house, so I decided to trek. On my way, I saw some men loitering around and thought it was the regular street boys that鈥檒l leave you be as long as you mind your business. But these ones started catcalling me. It wasn鈥檛 my first time being catcalled 鈥 that one is normal in Lagos 鈥 but these guys were very aggressive to the point of touching me. I managed to break away.
I thought I鈥檇 be able to shake off the experience, but by the time I got to work, I was still shaken and I felt dirty. I hoped to just get through the day.
Things were going fine until a woman brought in curtains and my madam assigned the work to me. I started on it, but there was a part that was very tricky.
The thing about sewing is that it鈥檚 better to leave something alone than to redo it after making a mistake because mistakes only make the material worse. I鈥檓 still an apprentice so I decided to show my madam that part, but she was talking with the person that brought the curtain outside and I didn鈥檛 want to interrupt them. So I waited for her to be done with their conversation.聽
But when madam stepped into the shop and saw me idle, she started shouting at me 鈥 she didn鈥檛 even give me space to explain myself. I was so embarrassed.
My day went from bad to worse. When I got home and showered, I couldn鈥檛 sleep. I was thinking about how if there was no strike and I was in school, something like this wouldn鈥檛 happen to me. It鈥檚 not like school isn鈥檛 easy but it鈥檚 just easier for me to blame it on ASUU.
TUESDAY
I鈥檝e not recovered from yesterday鈥檚 incident and I didn鈥檛 even sleep well. But work continues, abi? So I went to work.
Tuesdays are only slightly busier at the shop sha, because that鈥檚 the time people come with their materials and take measurements and we start working. So since I didn鈥檛 have much to do today, I had a lot of time to think about my life.
Even though I like fashion, I didn鈥檛 plan to learn the trade this soon. I鈥檓 only doing it because ASUU has been striking for more than six months now, and we don鈥檛 even know when it鈥檒l end.
I like fashion, but I wish I didn鈥檛 have to learn under these conditions. The former place I used to learn was worse than this. The complete trenches. I went there to learn fashion but would find myself in my madam鈥檚 house, washing her clothes, taking her children to school, cooking for her husband, and plenty more things. I stayed there for three months before I complained to my mum,, she pulled me out of there, but she鈥檇 already paid the apprenticeship fee.
This place I鈥檓 currently doing apprenticeship isn鈥檛 perfect, but it鈥檚 better. It鈥檚 closer to my hous,e and I don鈥檛 have to worry about the stress of entering danfo. But I鈥檓 tired, to be honest. I can鈥檛 wait for ASUU to call off strike.
Everybody is like, don鈥檛 waste this time. Learn something new. But learning something new doesn鈥檛 change the fact that I鈥檓 stagnant. My mates in private universities are already in 400 level and me, I鈥檓 still in my second year. If there was no strike and this was just a normal holiday, I鈥檇 be more excited about learning a trade, But right now, I鈥檓 doing it because I don鈥檛 have a choice. I just have to do it, if not, I鈥檇 be idle. Maybe that鈥檚 what makes it feel less interesting.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday is when the real work starts. The official closing time is 5 p.m, and on Monday and Tuesday, we close around that time. But from Wednesday onwards, it鈥檚 6:30 we leave because there鈥檚 always so much work.
It鈥檚 not like I can鈥檛 leave at 5 o, I鈥檓 just not comfortable leaving unfinished work. But no matter what, I鈥檒l never stay beyond 6:30 because of security issues.
Today, I learnt how to make peplums. My mum has a lot of peplum dresses and I鈥檝e always loved them. used to think they were difficult to make. But today, when madam tailor was showing me how to make it, it didn鈥檛 even take her more than two minutes. After cutting the material, you just need to put a stale on the peplum, sew round it, and then iron the cloth.
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I made my first peplum, and it came out well. I was so happy because my week started so badly.
Every day I learn something new, and it makes my time here more bearable. By the time I got home, I had so much fun telling my parents and just knew I鈥檇 sleep well.
THURSDAY
Thursdays are extra busy because people want to get their dresses on Friday. Customers call non-stop to ask if their clothes are ready. It鈥檚 also when we lie the most because even if the clothes are not ready, we鈥檒l tell the customers we鈥檙e done. We do this just so they鈥檒l stop calling us every five minutes.
We鈥檙e all on edge on Thursdays because of the building tension that a customer can come at any time. It鈥檚 the day I make the most mistakes because I鈥檓 still learning to manage the pressure.
It鈥檚 also on Thursday that madam tailor shouts at her apprentices the most. I understand her concern, but sometimes, I think there are better ways to correct inexperienced apprentices sha. It gets ugly when she starts laying her hands on people.
Like today, I was working on a child鈥檚 dress and was almost done 鈥 it was just remaining the hand. The problem is, I鈥檝e not really mastered how to cut the hands of dresses yet, so usually, when I get to the hands, I ask a more senior colleague to help me out. I don鈥檛 have a personal sewing machine at home, so I fear I鈥檓 not learning as fast as I should. The tailor doesn鈥檛 allow apprentices to bring their own stuff to sew at the shop. So, other apprentices who have machines usually go home to practice.
But today, everyone else that could help me was neck-deep in work. I could have waited o, but I was trying to be useful. I said to myself that since I鈥檝e seen people cut dress hands before, I could try it. I finished the dress and moved on to other tasks.
Around 6:15 p.m., when I was preparing to go home, I heard 鈥淜PAIII鈥 on my back. I was already so stressed from the hectic day, so it took me some moments to gather myself. Then the tailor showed me the dress and started shouting at me. She told me it wasn鈥檛 her fault I don鈥檛 have a machine at home and called me all sorts of names. She kept beating me with that her hand that鈥檚 very painful. Me that they don鈥檛 beat at home.
Shey I鈥檇 have left the unfinished dress for someone else. Me that was trying to be useful. Ah, ASUU, see what you people have caused. Please free me, let me go back to school.
FRIDAY
When I woke up this morning, my ears were ringing. Then I realised I still have to go to work today after the nonsense that happened yesterday.
I wanted to tell my parents, but no. It鈥檚 not the first time and my parents are very vocal people. What usually happens is, after my parents call the woman to complain, she鈥檒l apologise to them, promise to do better, and then turn around to badmouth me to other staff and apprentices in the shop. It鈥檚 funny because you鈥檇 expect them to empathise with me. Shey all of us are suffering the same thing? But no, they鈥檒l join to badmouth me.
There鈥檚 a kind of stigma that comes with being the one who snitches to their parents 鈥 they stop assisting me or sharing knowledge. And me, I鈥檓 at a disadvantage because I don鈥檛 have a sewing machine. When I look at all the problems that come with reporting, I wonder: at what cost? I鈥檒l just bear it, learn my thing and go.
The previous place I paid 鈧70k for, the money entered bush. I don鈥檛 know how much my parents paid for this one I鈥檓 currently doing, but it鈥檚 probably even more expensive. And it’s not like my parents can terminate the contract and collect a refund. That鈥檚 why I endure.
Fridays are chaotic as hell. By the time we closed today, I鈥檇 put all the events of the week behind me but was too tired to trek home. So I took a danfo. I can鈥檛 wait for the weekend abeg. My family will be at home and now that the season has ended, we鈥檒l watch BBN recaps and highlights.
Check back for new A Week in the Life stories every first Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. If you’d like to be featured on the series, or you know anyone interesting who fits the profile, fill out聽.
