26/04/2023
*LESSONS FOR THE ACTIVE CIVIL SERVANTS / PUBLIC SERVANTS*
1. Build a home earlier if you have the opportunity. Don't eat with your ten fingers. Be it rural home or urban home. Building a house at 60 or 65 is not an achievement. Don't get used to Government’s or company's quarters. This comfort is so dangerous. Let all your family have good time in your house. Similarly, buy a manageable car before retirement - a durable with less cost of maintenance;
2. Go home. Don't get stuck at work all the year. You are not the pillar of your department. If you dropped dead today, you will be replaced immediately and operations will continue. Make your family a priority and relax from office stress;
3. Don't chase promotions. Master your skills and be excellent at what you do. If they want to promote you, that's fine if they don't, stay positive to your personal.
development. Do not lobby for a post or an office because of the benefits attached to it , be contented with where you are;
4. Avoid office or work gossip. Avoid things that tarnish your name or reputation. Don't join the bandwagon that backbites your bosses and colleagues. Stay away from negative gatherings that have only people as their agenda;
5. Don't ever compete with your bosses. You will burn your fingers. Don't compete with your colleagues, you will fry your brain;
6. Ensure you have a side business. Your salary will not sustain your needs in the long run;
7. Save some money. Let it be deducted automatically from your payslip and invest it wisely;
8. Borrow a loan to invest in a business or to change a situation, not to buy luxury. Buy luxury from your profit;
9. Keep your life, marriage and family private. Let them stay away from your work. This is very important;
10. Be loyal to yourself and believe in your work. Hanging around your boss will alienate you from your colleagues and your boss may finally dump you when he leaves;
11. Retire early. The best way to plan for your exit was when you received the employment letter. The other best time is today. By 50 to 55 be out and highest be out at 60;
12. Join work welfare and be an active member always. It will help you a lot when any eventuality occurs;
13.Take leave days, utilize them by developing your future home or projects..... usually, what you do during your leave days is a reflection of how you'll live after retirement..... if it means you spend it all holding a remote control watching series on DSTV matches, expect nothing different after retirement;
14. Start a project whilst still serving or working. Let your project run whilst at work and if it doesn't do well, start another one 'till it's running viably. When your project is viably running, then retire to manage your business. Most people or pensioners fail in life because they retire to start a project instead of retiring to run a project;
15. Pension money is not for starting a project or buying a stand or build a house, but it's money for your upkeep or to maintain yourself in good health. Pension money is not for paying school fees or marrying a young wife but to look after yourself;
16. Put it in your mind that you'll never be a case study for living a miserable life after retirement, but be a role model for colleagues to think of retiring too;
17. Don't retire just because you’re finished or you're now a burden to the Company, and just wait for your day to die. Retire young or whilst energetic to enjoy waking up for a cup of coffee, enjoy the sun, receive money from your business, visit nice place that you missed and spend good time with your family. Those who retire late, spend about 95% of their time at work than with their family and that's why they see it difficult to spend time with their family when they retire but end up looking for another job 'till they die. If they don't get another job, they die early;
18. Never let your employment benefits make you forget about your retirement. Employment benefits are just meant to make you relax, get finished whilst time is moving.
Remember when you retire no one will call you boss if you don't have a viable business;
19. Don't hate to retire because one day you will retire either voluntarily or involuntarily; and
20. Never retire with a loan on your head, whether documented or not. Reconcile with all your colleagues before retirement. And try, as much as possible, never to go back to your office whether to greet them or seek for any help.
Note: I hope this will help you look at life positively and plan accordingly. Things have really changed but always pray for easy exit/retirement from the services with a better life afterwards....
