Memoir; my journey through the thick and thin of life — Part 4

After the completion of the installation of the Water infrastructure, there was need for the water to be distributed to consumers.

Elevated Water Tanks were constructed at 27 locations called Headworks.

To be able to capture the existing water consumers and make adequate provision for prospective consumers to be connected to the water grid, the company needed to carry out a geospatial data capture.

Geospatial data capture is the process in which the information on various map attributes, facilities, assets, and organizational data are digitized and organized on a target GIS system in appropriate layers.

The company also wanted to be able collect information about its potential customers, the location of their properties in relation to where it has its water pipe networks (roads, streets etc.).

A Geographic information Systems (GIS) contract was awarded to Nitoks Consultants Ltd, a Lagos based consulting firm. Nitoks had the mandate to capture and develop GIS database of water consumers and develop a customized billing system for the company.

Nitoks moved in to Uyo, and was given a working space at the Corporate Headquarters of the company along Dominic Utuk Avenue.

Nitoks brought in from Lagos some GIS specialists and Software Developers and also employed locally various categories of field workers who will carry out customer enumeration on all existing water consumers and potential customers.

When the GIS project started, the Project Manager of Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited, Engr Bassey Asuquo-Asang, relieved me to join Nitoks as Data Entry personnel.

I was part of the team responsible for entering the data captured from the enumeration exercise into a Data Entry software that was developed by the Software Developers.

I carefully picked a computer desk location closed to one of the GIS Specialists. As I was entering the data, I was used one side of my eye to look at the screen of the GIS specialist and watched how he manipulated the software.

I noticed that the software application used by the GIS specialist is ESRI Arcview 2.3. I sourced for that application and installed on my desktop system at home.

I understudied the GIS specialist everyday without his knowledge and when I got home, I started practicing what I learnt.

Unfortunately, Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited had no ICT staff as part of the project team to understudy Nitoks team.

Towards the end of the project, I started proving to Nitoks that I have a fair knowledge of the GIS software.

Again, since I also noticed that the customised billing software designed for the project, runs on Microsoft SQL Server, I was learning SQL as fast as I can.

At the end of the GIS Project, and in the absence of any AKWCL employee who understand the GIS platform, Nitoks recommended to AKWCL my engagement as GIS Specialist to man the platform for AKWCL.

Part of the GIS contract arrangements, was a training for AKWCL staff on Geography Information System (GIS) in South Africa.

By this time, I had only SSCE and a Computer Diploma. The Project Manager, (Engr Bassey AsuquoAsang) recommended my name to the Managing Director (Engr Bassey Ating) for the training in South Africa.

The moment the MD saw my name, and recalling what I was doing at the Project Management Office, he appended his green pen on it and approved the request, even when I was not an employee of the company.

In short, when I was already in South Africa, there was a petition against the MD’s action of approving a foreign training for non-staff.

Engr Ating stood his ground and called me to write an application for employment and backdate it.

In South Africa, I got training from Johannesburg Water Company and Rand Water Engineering. Spent some time in Port Elizabeth.

On my return to Nigeria, the MD minuted on my “Application for Employment” to the then General Manager (Administration), Mr Akpabio Ikon, requesting him to issue me appointment letter immediately.

Mr Akpabio Ikon refused to issue me appointment letter, insisting that I have to wait until the company advertises for general employment, there and only then can I apply for consideration (Absolute bureaucratic practice ~ this is one of the problems in Civil Service).

For 7 months, I went to work without being paid a Koko because of Mr Akpabio Ikon’s attitude.

Mr Akpabio Ikon is deceased now. May his soul rest in peace.

…to be continued

Stay with me in this series. Interesting information coming.