Deborah Ekundina, [16.09.21 19:29]
Code: NG622
Good evening my people.
So, I visited one of my respondents yesterday. He handed his notebook over to me as usual, only for me to find out that he had written down all transactions with the names of the customers and suppliers he had the transaction with. And I was like waoooh.
Then I said to him that I had it in mind to ask him of the names of his customers and suppliers. Then he smiled and said that he had attended a business seminar over the weekend where he was taught the importance of keeping record of all transactions with the names of his customers and suppliers.
That was how I reported each transaction one-by-one with the names of all customers and vendors provided on his note book.
Thanks for reading 📚 😀
Chinenye E, [16.09.21 23:49]
Code: NG388
There is this firm that was assigned to me as a replacement for one of the firms I initially had for diaries. On my first visit to the firm, the manager was very receptive and friendly after I told her who I was and why I came (since I wasn’t the one that conducted their census and intake). I asked if the owner is aware of the survey and she said yes that the owner asked her to interface with us since she (the owner) is usually not around. So she signed the diaries consent form and I opened and Setup a finbit account for the firm.
I thanked her and left notifying her that I will be back the following week for reporting. Fastforward to the following week, I arrive and we exchange pleasantries then start up on reporting. We were still on the first week of reporting when the owner came in and asked to speak with the manager, after a while, the manager came back to me and said her madam said she didnt quite understand what the research is about so I offered to meet her madam directly and explain which she obliged.
After discussing with the owner extensively on the survey she said she cannot divulge her financial information to anybody that the days are evil. I consulted my supervisor to inform her of the matter on ground. She told me to allow the owner time to think it through and leave a fresh copy of the diaries consent form with her which I did.
On the next day she asked me to come back, I went with my supervisor but unfortunately, the owner was not around so we had to go.
Yesterday, I visited again and sadly, she said she has thought it through and decided that she doesn’t want her firm to be a part of the survey. It’s a big blow for me given that we really started off well but the respondents’ wish is my command.
Chinenye E, [17.09.21 00:30]
Code: NG116
I visited a respondent today with my FS for reporting, upon getting to his firm at our agreed time he was not there so I tried calling him on phone but his number was switched off. We waited and after about 30 minutes he came in and was not looking happy at all.
Upon inquiring as to what the problem was, he said his phone was stolen today where he went to weld a machine for the people so he is looking for a way to block his accounts and retrieve his sim. He even said he didnt want to do Reporting today that he is not in a good mood.
My FS and I spent time discussing with him and encouraging him to cheer up. We condoled with him for the loss of his phone and suggested steps to take to ensure his bank account is not hacked into. We offered to come back another day for reporting if today is not convenient for him but he said we can go on with the reporting. After a long time of talking and series of engagement, the reporting was done.
Towards the end of the reporting, He asked us when we are bringing the phone we told him we will give him that he also saw it in our consent forms. We informed him the phones haven’t arrived yet.
Kingsley Ugwu, [17.09.21 02:16]
Code: NG263
On scheduled visit to this my respondent, she told me that she might stop the business. When I probed to know her reasons, she complained bitterly about the rising cost of the livestock feeds and the swine flu outbreak which she said were greatly affecting the business. She informed me that she has lost so many of her livestocks and as such incurring loses instead of making profits. I however encouraged her to be optimistic that things will soon turn around for good.
Amaka Chinwe, [20.09.21 22:10]
For more than a month now, there has been a sit at home order imposed on the South East by the IPOB secessionist group.
By last week Friday, information circulated around that the sit at home order has been lifted and we decided to watch the terrain to know if we can start working on Mondays again. The team went ahead with the plans of calling respondents to know if they will adjust to Monday reporting as well as accept being shifted a day forward in the reporting schedule. Surprisingly, before mid morning today, rumors of killing in an area of the city started spreading around. Coincidentally, this is the area where Enugu FR 5 works in. I informed the FRs of the recent development and also informed the FM who reiterated that the team should suspend working on Mondays till when stability is achieved. I also tried to ascertain the level of human and vehicular movement in the city by visiting one of our areas of assignment which is in another part of the tow. I discovered my respondent NG832 was among the few shops that opened to offer skeletal services. She was working under tension and did not display her goods in case the hoodlums visit, so she can easily run. Her employees did not report to work. As I left her shop, I trekked a long distance before finding a vehicle whose fare was drastically increased because of the sit at home activity coupled with the fuel scarcity issue.
I pray that before month end, everything will stabilize in the South East because the zone seems to be on auto pilot. Nobody knows whose orders to follow anymore.
Michael Enyam, [21.09.21 21:49]
Code NG176
This is one of my respondents that is always happy whenever she sees me. Two weeks ago she told me how she’s enjoying the exercise and hope to see me every Tuesdays. Getting to her shop today to do the normal business, she handed me the record book and she said “I made a loan repayment again this week , I feel happy that am coping ” She collected a loan earlier and couldn’t pay at the time she’s supposed to pay and added interest of N5000. Her record keeping has helped her realise how much she generates weekly and she can repay the loan weekly , she added.
Michael Enyam, [22.09.21 19:05] Code: NG604
Today like every other day I went to visit this firm who has been responsive in attending to me whenever I visit. Today I was with my supervisor. After greeting her and introducing my supervisor to her, she broke a sad news to us. Burglars broke into her firm at night and made away with 3 of her laptop computers and the little amount she dropped in her record book. She’s is into photocopying and printing services. To keep the business alive, she got a desktop computer but yet to pay for it. Using only desktop computer at this time means she will be perpetually depending on light before she can work and electricity supply has been really poor.
Olufunmilayo Nubi, [22.09.21 22:29]
Code NG334
I was with a firm today. Her birds are dying so no sales or anything she’s completely devastated, they ain’t sure if it’s bird flu or not because there is outbreak of bird flu on the farm. So she said once they sell the remaining birds as soon as possible they are closing down until next year when they are able to start afresh again. I persuaded her to at least do some writings down she said no, I tried to ask the number of birds lost so I can include it under expenses and select livestock lost so we can value it but she was upset with the idea of knowing the number of birds mortality. She wants to opt out of the one year project due to the mortality incidence. So I told her I’ll notify our organisation and get back to her.
Precious Ita, [23.09.21 08:16] Code NG670
So yesterday I visited one of my respondents, a bakery firm, called her before going there, she asked me to wait for her that she was on her way to her firm, I did and in about 7minutes, she was there. The first thing she did was that she brought out her anointing oil, was blasting in tongues and was making declarations for few minutes (I guess she was just coming back from church). Afterwards she complained about poor sales and she said it started since we started collecting her data (😳😳😳😳) and then she said don’t you people pray for your respondents? I quickly answered in the affirmative, “Ma, I do oo” (cause I actually do☺️). Then she said, “you people should be able to give me feedback in 3 months from the data you must have gathered from my firm.” I was quick to remind her it’ll last for a year.
This is a gentle reminder that we keep praying for our respondents.😣😣
Kingsley Ugwu, [23.09.21 10:34]
Code: NG220
When I visited this my respondent for financial reporting, he told me that he has been running the piggery largely from his hospital business because he has not been making much sales. When I asked him the reason for that, he told me that the swine flu outbreak has reduced the selling price of pigs and making sales now will amount to huge loss for him. He will rather try and protect the remaining pigs from the the virus and start selling by December when the outbreak must have stopped. According to him, after the outbreak the selling price of pigs will increase and selling the pigs that time will give him more profits.
Victor Essien, [23.09.21 12:51] NG574
Yesterday, I visited one of my respondents, a laundry firm, as scheduled and met her looking sad and defeated.
I sought to know reasons for her countenance and for a young, struggling entrepreneur, she listed challenges most importantly being that a section of the firm’s washing area was flooded by the heavy and recurring rains, resulting in losses and the stress of stacking equipment everywhere, leaving available space looking untidy. For a 2hour session, she also discussed the pressing challenge of low patronage, which she partly attributed to the heavy rains this season, alongside her efforts in mass advertisement of the business and her resorting to a part time, high patronage-based system of indulging employees due to difficulty with paying her employees due to difficulty in keeping her employees full-time. It was a revealing session in all, as i mostly listened and empathised with her in accordance with the guidelines of the study and even if she didn’t get the solutions to her challenges, in her own words, ‘she felt a bit relieved’ having had sincere listening ears to relate her challenges; for me, it was very instructive too, seeing a young firm owner who alongside bearing such overwhelming challenges, was seeking smart and practical ways to combat them🤔.
Chinenye E, [25.09.21 01:50]
NG356
So on Thursday I went for a finbit registration and Setup for a new assignment used to replace a firm.The firm owner had told me the previous day being Wednesday that she had an emergency work to deliver that I should please come the next day.When I arrived that Thursday, the firm owner was very elated to see me. She said she has been seeing me pass to go to her neighbour’s place for weekly reporting and that she is happy she is now a part of the survey.
She was very cooperative and gave details as much as she could remember. She was even showing me clothes brought by different customers while we were doing reporting.
Michael Enyam, [27.09.21 20:26]
Code: NG556
I visited this firm today as it’s our normal meeting day. After going through their record to do the usual business, I proceeded to Record keeping survey and the firm owner revealed some of the challenges he face with his employees. He employed a lady as a secretary earlier this year whose responsibility is only keeping financial transactions of firm. He discovered that his employees sometimes record less what is generated by the firm especially when he’s not around and they share the remaining money among themselves. He only gets to know when issues arises. So when I asked for net profit in his business, he brought out his record books from 2015😂😂😂 omo! And he calculate his profit every month end after salary. And added ” I studied Economics in the University, if I don’t do like this then I studied in vain”
He’s truly diligent in his report.
Magdaline Musa, [28.09.21 22:02]
Code: NG766
Good evening ladies and gentlemen
Yesterday I visited a firm for the diaries and asked the question on the new survey that asks which month was worst month, the resposdendant said the whole year was a disaster because of covid 19. Since the location of his firm was in an institution,they were asked to stay home for 8 months. When I asked the question which month was the best he looked at me and said “madam were you not in Nigeria last year?”. I had gotten my answer and we all laughed at the whole scenario.
Deborah Ekundina, [29.09.21 02:56]
Code: NG200
So when it was time to meet her as scheduled, each time I call her number, she doesn’t take her calls and won’t return back calls (this happened for 2days). I went to her shop several times and I didn’t meet her.
So when she finally picked her call, she apologised and said she has been sick and has gone through a lot of stress due to her lost phones and the exams she had in school. So she asked me to come for the financial data report. But her mood wasn’t a good one.
When it was time for the following week’s report, she stopped taking my calls again 😑 😒 and I was like, why is this particular respondent always stressing me. This time around I couldn’t handle it myself, my supervisor had to call her to know what the problem is and if she’s still interested in the survey. She said she’s interested, but she’s having some personal issues of which the survey was not what she wanted to attend to when I called.
So when I finally met her yesterday, she looked happy 😊 and was willing to give me the financial report of her business.
Bello Salisu, [30.09.21 15:56]
Code: NG664.
Good day ladies and gentlemen. Today I went for a supportive check-in to LagosFR4 (Olufunmiyalo Nubi), during the day we came across to a respondent who is seriously into shoe making with many machines to ease his production, we gist a lot with him and finally I patronised and bought a special shoe from him. As you can find below he allows me to pictured most of his business premises, displays and interview on progress.
