Last night I was invited to a dinner party in Victoria Island. It was organized by a friend to celebrate her recent achievements. I requested an Uber as usual and a black sedan pulled up. The moment leading up to my arrival at the venue was a mixture of small inconsequential talk. The drama unfolded after my arrival. He ended the trip and my fare was calculated to be two thousand six hundred Naira (#2,600). I reached into my wallet and handed the driver three thousand Naira (#3,000) casually waiting for my change.
Brief moments passed… no change.
The oga wasn’t dipping his hand into his pockets or car compartment or wherever he stashed his money. I reminded him that I was waiting for my change, but, with a smile, he informed me that my change was part of his tip for the service.
“Who is smiling with this one?” My thoughts were amplified enough by my facial expression that he scrambled to give me my change.
Why did he deserve a tip? I was already paying him for his service, wasn’t I?
There has been a lot of debate surrounding the custom of giving tips to service workers like waiters, taxi drivers, and hair stylists/barbers. While the response to this debate will vary depending on the country and location, the real question is; should customers be forced to pay a tip every time he/she receives a service or should it be by the leading of personal emotion?
In the US, for instance, a percentage of the bill is expected as tip every time a service is offered. If the customer declines to offer this tip, they are blacklisted, resulting in him/her receiving poor service next time or even becoming a victim of vindictiveness, in extreme cases. (I’ve heard cringe-worthy stories of the waiter spitting in your food. Gross!)
In Nigeria, although tipping is generally acceptable, it is, however, a custom that contradicts our culture as a people. Growing up, part of the discipline my mother instilled in us from an early age was never to receive rewards in form of monetary tips whenever we were sent on errands by the neighbours or anyone. This discipline was sewn into the fibres of my being that as an adult, I find myself rejecting tip offers from clients who are impressed by my work.
This isn’t the case for most Nigerians these days. In fact, the thin line between a tip and bribery has become blurry. It’s quite disturbing to observe how our cultural values as a society are being eroded by those from other cultures. The perception that most people have towards tipping in our society today has descended to one of entitlement.
A lot of workers and service providers believe they are entitled to your hard earned money. From the policeman standing at the traffic light to the government official at the vehicle license office, the desperation to make ends meet in difficult economic conditions has led to the complete acceptance of this custom.
Today, this has degenerated into extortion and corruption where government officials decline to offer services if they are not presented with a tip snuggly sitting in a brown envelope.
I think tips are okay if they are given without coercion or compulsion if not, it tilts towards a category that falls under the umbrella of daylight robbery.