The cost of not doing things right

Scene 1: 8:02am. It was last Tuesday. I had driven through wild Lagos traffic and was almost heaving a sigh of relief when I saw another mild traffic ahead. While trying to slow down I heard Gboa! My car lurched forward hitting the pick-up truck in front of my car. Consequently the conjoined metal of the pick-up landed on my windshield, shattering the glass.

Apparently, the commuter bus behind me had faulty brakes, ramming into my car which lurched forward and I hit another. I was stunned. Of course, Lagos driver, he was flat on his stomach begging and pleading. I felt like pulling his ears to the mechanic workshop. I needed this man to understand the price he had to pay for driving recklessly and for not fixing his car when due.

The minimal cost he was avoiding had resulted in much higher cost of fixing my broken headlights and windshield… it costs less energy to do the right thing than to correct that which is wrong.

Scene 2: Petrol rice and beans

Scene 2: 11:05am. I’m back at home after driving the car drudgingly home. A friend of the family came in to visit and through discussions began to mention the new method of saving costs by oil marketers. It’s called “rice and beans”. The process of mixing two dilutes and presenting it at the price of the more expensive one. You’ve been buying but didn’t know. Let me explain.

Supposing a marketer was to deliver 10,000 litres of diesel, he goes on to buy 5,000 of kerosene, which is cheaper and mix with 5,000 litres of diesel and sells it at the price of diesel. This is also happening in the case of petrol where ‘thinner’, used for spraying furniture is mixed with engine oil to make up the amount of petrol needed.

Whenever your generator, car or pumping machine breaks down, whenever you wonder why your machines don’t spend time before they begin to give fault, someone was trying to be smart by half… while the marketer tires to reap in profit by being crafty, think about all the costs of faulty parts and repair, incurred by the buyers… it costs less do the right thing

Scene 3: Mimiko

After dozing off for a while, I woke up to the news that I had changed Segun had been booted out and Segun has been declared winner. Olusegun Mimiko has been declared winner over Olusegun Agagu. I then thought to myself, the INEC boss should be proud of himself by now. The has again proved that it is people that cause rigging and not INEC. I imagine.

But then I would have cost less if the imaginary polling booths had been used, it would have been a lot less controversial if our fingerprints taken were used as a basis for voting. It would have been a lo lot easier. Imagine all the money used to procure those things . . . though maybe inflated, it was cheap. Compared to the cost of tribunals and counter appeals, costs of buildings, life and destinies razed into ashes. It was an expensive venture to negotiate our future for transient gains. . . no matter how expensive, it pays to do things right the first time.

Lessons:

After the car bash, I went on to go to the office only to discover if I had made phone calls, I needn’t have gone out at all… It takes less energy to do the right thing than to correct that which is wrong.

When are those times you felt you should rush things and the y came back crashing? When was the last time you decided to sleep a bit longer only to wake late and start rushing blindly. It is important as individuals growing, a time came you thought about doing the right things, but then as we progress we have to begin to do things right. Weigh your options well, before choices. Before you begin to do things wrongly, think about the costs and the consequences.

It is cheaper for the Government to carry out reforms on the electoral, political and educational systems, than having to cope in a few years with a frustrated people. People may be quiet, but not stupid, and patience may be running out, this is too important, too crucial.

Follow your heart through. The right way.