The Fog (4.1)

In chapter 4, The Fog continues as Bolaji Lawson, the management consultant that Nimi picks up from airport, arrives at Ona foundation.

Chapter 4 is written in three parts and this is the first part.

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“BOLA”

Bolaji Lawson was charismatic and he knew it.

Visible tension ran through multiple faces in the meeting room and for the first time in a long time, they each could hear every yawn, every whisper and every page flipped.

He started by assuring everyone that the goal was not to make people lose their livelihoods but to enhance the effectiveness of their processes and systems within the organisation. Then he paused, looked around the room, and smiled.

“Because of amazing people like you , I was able to leave Port Harcourt on a scholarship to the US. I was the first in my family to go to university, the son of a single mum that worked as a typist just outside Trans Amadi school. In the evening and on weekends, my mother would sell Bole and roasted fish just to keep a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.”

He smiled pensively, shaking his head.

“I didn’t even know how to use a computer at that point you know, but the lovely people at Ona’s Port Harcourt branch saw my potential after a science workshop and gave me all the help I needed. Before I knew what was happening, I received a full ride scholarship and I was on a plane to DC.”

He exhaled slowly.

“You all matter. The opportunities you create for children through the work you do change lives, and you should be proud of yourselves.”

The room erupted in applause while Bola smiled, trying unsuccessfully to hide his excitement and satisfaction. As a management consultant that had walked this line with multiple corporate and philanthropic entities across the world, he knew the importance of your first speech especially in a country like Nigeria. The worst thing would be panic: frightened staff, collapsing morale, resignations spreading through the office in whispers. The board had made it clear that this was not what they wanted.

As Bola looked around at his captivated audience, in the midst of the cheering crowd he noticed that there were certain outliers.

There was Marie who he had met and spoke with briefly before this meeting; he had tried to schedule calls with her a few times before his arrival but she insisted on emails or messaging chats. From what a board member had communicated to him (in professional terms of course), Marie was not particularly pleased or “convinced” with their choice of consultancy firm and “the firm” (him) would have to prove their worth to this ”vital member of Ona’s leadership”. She had given him a terse reception the previous day, citing back-to-back meetings.

Then there was the younger woman beside her, two young women in fact.

The one to Marie’s immediate left favoured her except with a darker skin tone. Bola reasoned that she was probably the assistant, the new one on the staff list. He recognised the second young woman immediately, she had picked him up at the airport. Nimisola, yes that was her name. She seemed a bit quiet but with a pleasant disposition.

Without making it obvious, he narrowed his eyes slightly as his gaze moved around the room. He could not quite tell what she was doing. Her head was bent, her attention fixed on something in front of her.

By then, a small crowd had begun forming around him as staff members came forward one after another to introduce themselves, welcome him, and exchange pleasantries.

When the procession finally thinned, he looked at Nimi again. She had a pencil in her hand, moving across what appeared to be a large sketchbook.

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