Recently, I was at an event organized in honour of some staff of a bank that shall remain unnamed. These staff had previously represented the organization at a competition and had done her proud by winning. So the small reception/get-together was held to for the representatives to officially present the trophy to the organization and at the same time to honour and appreciate these representatives.
It was a free-for-all sort of gathering and everyone was invited, the entire staff, and even non-staff. The first thing that struck me though, was that much more people were present at this party than had been available to support the representing team during the competition. It just reminded me of the attitude typical of the average Nigerian. Something that has come to be referred to in less formal terms as ‘osho-free’.
The seats which had been provided could not cater for the numbers, (there were also some ‘mo-gbo-mo-yas’ present) but people did not seem to care for the absence of seats or the discomfort of standing all through. I guess they must have thought that the chop-chop coming after the talk-talk was worth it, and besides, who said you could not grub while standing? So amidst the music and speeches and all, I noticed heads kept turning and I heard whispers and the reason was simple. Where was the food? No set tables or anything like could be seen, there wasn’t any strong, overpowering aroma of food coming from anywhere, so people began to wonder.
Finally, the speeches and presentations were finally over and the mood suddenly changed. People who had been slouching in their chairs suddenly sat up. Those that had been bored and uninterested instantly became alert. It was time for item 7. To say I was shocked at the attitude displayed by these bankers while the food was being distributed is an understatement. ‘Ladies and gentlemen’, dressed in suits hustled, rushed and pushed to get served. The line was disrupted and simple manners and etiquette were thrown to the wind. When the servers couldn’t bear it any more, they simple left the items to be shared and took their leave. One of them made a comment which actually inspired this article. In her shock and dismay, she exclaimed ‘oh my God, are these people bankers?’ At that time, I just laughed along with others who heard her. Later though, I thought about what she said and realized even though it seemed funny at the time, it really wasn’t funny. I realized this girl probably had a mindset of how bankers should behave and clearly, that night, she had been disappointed. Bankers generally have been known to show class and panache. Impressive corporate dressing, courtesy, confidence, eloquence etc are qualities which bankers have come to be known for and which are expected of them anyway. But these bankers fell way below expectation. They showed no class and most definitely lacked efizi.
Efizi is not an English word, and I am not sure I know its origin (I guess it was coined from the word ‘effect’), but I’m positive that almost, if not all Nigerian youths know its meaning. It is a term which is used to describe a little more than necessary attitude of some sorts. It would mean going extra lengths to create an impression. I call it ‘shakara-etiquette’. Pulling (that’s the verb used to describe the action) efizi would mean that you consider what other people would think of you or/and your actions. Now, there is only one reason people indulge in this attitude and its simple – to impress. It means you want to improve people’s perception of you and/or your attitude.
While we may be quick to judge and generally categorize efizi as pretense, putting up false appearances or fronting/forming as we youths put it, I want to see it from a different light. Agreed, all the extra work/wahala is just to make people believe that you are what you are often times not, or do what you usually would not. I use the word often because for some people, efizi is their default setting (which is a good attribute in this case). I mean it’s like some people were born with it. And sometimes it’s enviable because these people definitely stand out and you cannot but admire certain qualities which they exude.
In trying to pull efizi, you would as I said earlier, need to go extra lengths. For instance, a lady who asks to use the ladies or the bathroom instead of the toilet (which is efizi of some sorts) would have had to know that that they were one and the same place. This little extra vocabulary is what others might not know and in using the word, this person would have had to recall and appropriately use the word. Or another guy who spends extra time cleaning and dressing up so he looks smart and attractive. Unknowingly to him, this could become a habit, which altogether brings me to my point. Efizi isn’t totally bad. There is this saying that there’s no second chance at making first impressions. So if you put in extra work to make an impression and you succeed, you’re happy and satisfied. Now, if you want to maintain the impression you have created (which is usually the case), you have to continue with the extra work. I believe an extra effort in anything which isn’t evil, is good. Secondly you develop a good habit trying to maintain the positive impression created, which is also a good thing. So overall, you create a positive impression, develop a good habit, simply because you were trying to pull efizi. Here, I believe the end truly justifies the means.
Personally I see it this way, if everybody was even just a little concerned about what the next person thought, things wouldn’t be so difficult. I mean, if you consider that the next person to you would see a particular habit/ attitude (e.g. Nose-picking, late-coming, shunting queues, rudeness, noisy chatter etc) in bad taste and lacking class, you wouldn’t like to continue with such attitude. I remember in secondary school, there was this clique that every other girl (and boy) wanted to be friends with. These girls would never rush for anything, their uniforms were always so neat and I doubt they ever were in trouble for anything. These girls were just doing shakara, pulling efizi, and it was their own way of seeking attention. And they succeeded. Everyone, students and teachers alike admired them. I also know for a fact that girls who don’t throw themselves at guys, who actually make guys sweat before agreeing to a date earn more respect from guys than the ones who make themselves cheap. The good thing about efizi is that it makes you self-conscious, and self-consciousness isn’t a bad quality. Somehow, it helps you realize that your actions directly/indirectly affect other people. And it all starts from there. The moment we start to think about our actions and its effect on others, we’re headed in the direction for positive change.
If the bankers I mentioned earlier had showed just a little bit of class and efizi, they wouldn’t have been mocked and probably would still have been held in high regard by the server girl. But now, I bet she wouldn’t think much of any of them, at least the ones she saw rushing for barbecue! So the next time you’re in a bus and the ‘conductor’ hasn’t returned your change, don’t be typically Nigerian and go ranting and cursing. Do small shakara, pull a little efizi and calmly remind him of your change as many times as you need to. I trust that your calmness and courtesy would get you your change, possibly even faster than the raving and ranting would.
Efizi will get you where ‘gra-gra’ wont, I know so, because it has worked for me.
