Jealousy And Assaults: An Alarming Social Disease -By Caleb Onah

A few years ago, Sahara Reporters covered the story of Inspector Olorunsogo Bamidele, a police woman serving at the Nigeria Police Force in Osun State. She was stationed at the Ode-Omu Divisional headquarters. Inspector Bamidele has come forward seeking justice after allegedly experiencing physical assault and brutalization by her superior officer, ASP Ajayi Mathew.

In her account, Inspector Bamidele claims that ASP Ajayi Mathew has been using his position to intimidate, harass, blackmail, and threaten her with termination if she refuses his romantic advances.

She recounts, “He began to assault me, going as far as undressing me. Look at my chest, my hands; I have injuries everywhere caused by Mr. Ajayi Mathew.” When asked about the reason behind the assault, she responded, I don’t know.

He asked me to be in a relationship with him, but I declined since I am a married woman. He then resorted to blackmail, falsely claiming that he was the one pursuing me.

From what we can see over the years, within Nigeria organisations and among Nigerians, there exist these concerning social diseases that combine to hinder growth, collaboration, and productivity- jealousy and assaults.

This toxic phenomenon not only corrodes relationships among colleagues but also undermines the overall success of organisations. Both of these behaviours contribute to a toxic economy, work environment and can have severe consequences for individuals and organisations.

However, several factors contribute to the prevalence of ‘professional’ jealousy, backbiting in some cases and assaults. The competitive nature of the job market in Nigeria creates an environment where individuals constantly feel the need to prove themselves.

This intense competition lowers ‘self-esteem’, breeds’ jealousy in some ways and the desire to undermine colleagues’ or fellow workers or citizens’ success. Also, the scarcity of opportunities for career advancement exacerbates the problem.

In a report published by ALJazeera, a young woman embarked on a bus journey in January 2017, travelling from her home in Calabar, Nigeria’s Cross River State, to a village in Akwa Ibom State. She had believed that she was heading to meet a corporate executive for a potential job opportunity.

To give some background, she had recently completed a diploma course and intended to start university the following year. However, she needed to save money for her tuition fees and living expenses, which led her to search for employment.

Like many other Nigerian youth in the digital age, she turned to social media to post about her job search, sharing her contact details for potential employers to reach out to her. Several weeks later, she received a call from a man who informed her about an entry-level position at ExxonMobil, an American oil and gas company operating in Nigeria.

The man requested that she bring a physical copy of her identification to an address in a neighbouring state to proceed with the application process. Despite her hesitation and doubts, she eventually decided to make the journey.

Upon arriving at the designated location, which had a warning sign about dogs, she was taken aback by what she saw. It was a construction site, with labourers outside moving sand to mix concrete for the foundation.

The person she had been speaking to on the phone surprised her; he appeared too young to be a corporate executive. Later on, she discovered that he was only 16 years old. The young woman was asked to wait on a bench for the arrival of the man’s father, who would discuss the job offer with her. Meanwhile, the labourers continued their work around her. As time passed, around 2 o’clock, she started feeling uneasy because she needed to return to Calabar.

The young man assured her that they would leave as soon as he paid the labourers. However, at 5pm, when the labourers left, the young man locked the gate, leaving her alone with him inside the compound. When she expressed her objections, he threatened her life and demanded that she enter a nearby room. She recounts the horrifying events that followed.

He coerced her to obey him without hesitation, warning that he would harm her and that no one would come to her rescue. The room was dimly lit, with only a small mattress. He instructed her to sit on the mattress and proceeded to undress her.

It was at this point that she began crying and pleading. She expressed her disinterest in the job. He then brought out a knife tied with red cloth, threatening to stab her if she refused to undress. Unfortunately, she was subsequently raped.

The consequences of assaults are far-reaching and detrimental to individuals, organisations and the society. Firstly, such behaviours erode trust among authority figures, organisations, colleagues, creating a toxic work environment that inhibits collaboration and productivity. The focus shifts from achieving national and organisational goals to personal vendettas, leading to decreased job satisfaction, increased stress levels and fear.

When individuals engage in undermining their colleagues and fellow citizenries, it often results in missed opportunities for collective learning, mentorship, and skill development. Ultimately, this undermines the overall progress of our organisation.

The prevalence of jealousy and assaults in Nigerian also leads to high employee and employment turnover rates. Talented individuals who become victims of such behaviours may seek opportunities elsewhere, causing a loss of valuable human capital for the organisation and the nation.

It is time our organisations and systems emphasise teamwork, encourage open communication, and recognise the value of collective achievements. By promoting a collaborative culture, employees and citizens– literates or illiterate are less likely to feel threatened by their colleagues’ and or citizens success, reducing jealousy and backbiting.

Transparent and objective performance evaluation systems in various organisations can help minimise subjective judgments and biases. When employees or citizenries understand that their success is based on fair criteria, it reduces the likelihood of jealousy and assaults.