A distressing personal experience has reignited debate over Nigeria’s night shift work culture, exposing a problem many citizens know too well but rarely confront.
Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, has shared a troubling account of rushing his daughter to hospital after 2am, only to be delayed by a cashier who was fast asleep on duty. Despite the urgency of the situation, the staff member briefly woke, muttered a response and returned to sleep, forcing him to wait helplessly while critical minutes ticked away.
It took the intervention of a passing doctor before the cashier finally attended to him. Thankfully, the doctor had already initiated emergency care for the child. Without preventing protocol, the delay could have been fatal. His daughter was eventually stabilised, but the incident left a deeper concern lingering.
Achimugu’s reflection goes beyond one hospital encounter. He points to a widespread failure of professionalism among night shift workers across sectors, from healthcare to hospitality. He recalls hotels where receptionists lash out at guests for interrupting their sleep, only to be defended by management under the guise of empathy.
The argument, he insists, is fundamentally flawed. A shift is a defined period of duty, not optional availability. Night work demands preparation, alertness and accountability, particularly because customers and patients are most vulnerable during those hours.
Drawing comparisons with international standards, Achimugu notes that in many countries, night staff are deliberately prevented from getting too comfortable on duty. At a Dubai hotel, front desk officers were not even provided chairs to ensure constant readiness and prompt service.
For him, the solution lies in systems, not sentiments. At the NCAA, automation is being deployed to monitor duty officers in real time, ensuring staff are physically present and responsive, not answering calls from home while claiming to be on site.
His message is blunt but necessary. Nigeria cannot build efficient institutions while tolerating negligence masked as human sympathy. Work, especially at night, must be done well. Lives, safety and public trust depend on it.
