Welcome to Sam Obukelihor's Blog

 I wish to state here that one of the greatest mistakes made by yours truly was accepting to work for one-man businesses. During my active work-life, I worked for three one-man multi billion naira companies at the time the naira had some value. One common problem with all of them was the absence of codified HR Policies and Procedures. The HR Policies and Procedures were usually in respective heads of the owners. They accepted codified HR Policies and Procedures to humour you until actual implementation when they will refuse outrightly. In one of them, I did a job classification and salary structure, only for the owner to set it at nought at implication. We also agreed out-station allowance for junior staff. The first beneficiaries were denied by the Chairman and his family members claiming, I was trying to unionize the workers. In another, I was told one of the most fantastic Industrial Relations story, that there were Industrial Arbitration Panel and National Industrial Court ruli...

 Looking for a government that consistently announce policy changes then start consultations? Find Affidavit Pass Certificate (APC) government in my beloved country Nigeria.

 I joined a multi- billion naira company as  Group Personnel Manager and the first major problem I tackled was the high cost of medical services for employees. I crashed the employees medical services cost from over N250,000.00 monthly to less than N50,000.00 without affecting the health of the employees. HOW? - I reduced the number of retainer hospitals from seven to three. - I established an Industrial Clinic with a Youth Corps Doctor in attendance. - I banned all visits to the retainer hospitals without referral from the Industrial Clinic, Monday through Friday. - All hospitals visits during the weekend must be regularized by a referral from the Industrial Clinic during the next week. - I refused to pay all medical bills without referrals from the Industrial Clinic. - I collected drugs for the Industrial Clinic from a sister company. - I refused any form of drug purchase from outside. REACTIONS? - The Head of Human Resources at the Group Head Office (GHO) sent a letter of c...

 Looking for a country being  ruled by illiterates which play KaloKalo with her education policies, yet the citizens are surprised at the decadence of her education?  Stop looking. Please come to my beloved country, Nigeria.

 The first HR Mistake by yours truly was seizing junior staff salaries. I joined this company with a headcount of over 2,400 employees but less than 40% were registered with the Nigerian Provident Fund (NPF). All my appeals for the over 60% to come forward for registration fell on deaf ears. When the registration of the unregistered staff became one of my annual performance goals, I had to go extra mile to achieve my goal to the extent that by the end of the year less than 5% of the junior staff had no NPF Numbers. Secondly, In the same company, I publicly disgraced the branch executives of the Senior Staff Association. WHAT HAPPENED? I got a memorandum from the SSA to management appealing for a N100 deduction from all senior staff salaries for a Christmas party. When I called the attention of the Vice Chairman of the Association to the fact that I was not a member of the Association consequent upon the the provision of the Trades Union's December 1986 amendment, he told yours trul...

 Looking for the professionals that have assisted Politicians in making and ensuring that Nigeria remains the poverty capital of the world? Look no further. The manipulated professionals are the Lawyers and Accountants.

 In discussing HR MISTAKES by yours truly, the necessary starting point should be the establishment of ATTITUDE to life generally and work in particular. Attitude is not inherited but acquired through learning and experience by massive exposure. Decisions are based on the attitude of the decision maker to the issue at stake. Please refer to my earlier content on "Decision Making:A Strategy For Development" in 2023. All the HR MISTAKES I made were all based on my attitude to life issues generally and work in particular. A few of my attitude based decision will suffice. - Truth is sacrosanct. If it is not the truth, it cannot be the truth. - Integrity. If you cannot do it, do not say it. Very many people substitute Integrity with Rigidity. - Covenant breakers are not human beings but animals. - Liars are dogs. - Do not work for people/Companies who do not pay salaries as at when due. - Annual leave is non-negotiable. - The rule must be applied to all with very few exceptions. T...

 Looking for a common factor among all our leaders that has resulted in our being the poverty capital of the world? Look no further. Majority of our leaders are barely literate and others have questionable educational qualifications. Indeed, the worst of us are ruling the best of us.