volume1 may 2010 issue5 ombu - afdb.org · staff with the primary objective of providing confi- ......

Dear Colleague,

Are you still sitting in a corner at the Bank, stressingyourself out on issues relating to comportment ofyour supervisor, peer, and collaborator; and harbo-ring fears from using the services of the Ombuds-man or the Values Promotion Champion (VPC)due to retaliation? Are you still battling with your ca-reer development uncertainties, performance eva-luation controversies, confusion with application ofBank benefit and compensation policies , just toname a few? If you are and have done nothingabout it, come and have a conversation with the Of-fice of the Ombudsman at our new premises in ATR2nd Floor Room234. If you are in a field office,please pay a visit to your VPC. Over time you willfind that there is value added in individual and col-lective responsibility to make our workplace envi-ronment serene, stress-free if possible, civic and

respectful. No matter our differences we shouldcontribute to build or nurture that sense of belon-gingness to the Bank. We want therefore to hearfrom you and together find a solution.

InTunis, you may wish to know that the new Officein ATR 234 is better designed to facilitate our ser-vice delivery to Bank staff. It has a more congenialand efficient environment, paying attention to free,easy and discrete access by staff, and the need toensure confidentiality and independence of the Of-fice’s activities as required by the standards of theInternational Ombudsman Association (IOA) subs-cribed to by the Bank.Together with our VPCs, wehave undergone more specialized skills develop-ment and competency building exercises to en-hance our service delivery and help you meetworkplace challenges.

The forefathers of the Bank, must have envisionedthat with the success and expansion of Africa’s pre-mier development finance institution into the 21stCentury, there would be huge profile diversity -race, culture, gender, age, education and background.If badly exploited, the diversity which brings richnessand wealthy experience to the Bank could be asource of petty conflict detracting everyone frommaximizing their potential to the benefit of theBank in particular and the African continent in ge-neral. Furthermore, such conflict if allowed to fes-ter could be humanly and financially costly to theBank. That is why the Office of the Ombudsmanwas created in 1992 in the Bank as a designatedneutral and impartial conflict resolution resource for

A f r i c a n D e v e l o p m e n t B a n k

May 2010Volume 1Issue 5

OMBUOmbudsman Office

AfDB The Ombudsman VPC Newsletter

In this issue:

� A Note from the Ombudsman

� Values after we are gone

� KEFO staff tied by scotchcellotape…

� Should we always say the truth?

� Workplace Conflict

� VPC Meeting, Nairobi

� Briefing MAFO Staff about VPC2010 Review Training in Nairobi

� Angelique at the Staff TribunalSession in Addis

� A place for Rules andRegulations

� Laughter is the heart’s bestmedicine

� Life-long education➢Morning Motivation➢ Say it and … ACT IT

� OMBU Events➢ Past Events➢ Upcoming events

ValuesChampions

Program


2

staff with the primary objective of providing confi-dential, independent and informal assistance on grie-vances and complaints related to human resourcesand workplace issues. The Office therefore facilitatesdispute or resolves conflict among staff and bet-ween staff and management through mediation andconciliation and supplements the formal staff re-course systems for conflict resolution, such as theStaff Appeals Committee and the Administrative Tri-bunal.

When you visit us, we shall work with you to exploreways and options that you would be most comfor-table pursuing by yourself to help resolve the pro-blem. Although we remain neutral, independent andat arm’s length to management we discern from ourdiscussions any systemic problems/ issues that shouldbe reformed to ensure that Bank processes are fair.So we need to hear from you about those issueswhich when addressed can assist facilitate fairness atthe Bank.

You are probably wondering whether your peers vi-sit us at all and whether we are making any progressin our endeavors. In that case you would find in oursoon to be published 2009 Annual Report based onthe theme “Building a Conflict Competency Work-place at the African Development Bank” an interes-ting document to read. Just to give you a foretaste,

you would find out that our past efforts in the formof (a) skills building and training programs for mana-gers and leads prepared and delivered by ourselvesand by reputable Consultants in the Ombudsmanand Mediation Profession; (b) launching of the ValuesPromotion Champions (VPC) initiative which ex-tended conflict management services to field officestaff;(c) periodic outreach campaigns as well as re-gular and systematic participation of the Office in theCHRM induction and On-Boarding programs fornewly recruited staff are paying off. That staff aware-ness and use of our informal recourse system to de-escalate conflict, manage conflict competently, re-duce the financial and human cost of conflict to theBank and build a workplace that lays premium onstaff respect and dignity is rising. You might wish tonote that in 2009 alone, the number of visitors andcaseload handled by the Office reached 100, this is

the highest in the last 5 years demonstrating, amongothers, the gained trust from staff to share or raisetheir concerns and complaints with us. You may findit even more interesting that of the 100 cases 99%of the caseloads handled by the Office were broughtto closure.

Let me therefore end this note with these twocharts of the 2009 Caseloads. As the saying goes apicture is worth more than a thousand words.

Your colleagues are using our services to deal withtheir concerns, free their minds and focus on doingBank business in Africa. Do the same. Pay us a visitif you feel you have an issue .

Amabel Orraca-Ndiaye

The Ombudsman

Values after we are gone

By Delight Joseph Ngwira, VPC, MWFO

Values can becommunicatedin different ways.In this ar ticle,we go beyondthe words andlyrics of musicto find meaningin inherent va-

lues. It is February 23, 2010, and theplace is the Safari Park Hotel’s Nya-machoma Restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya.Waiters are busy slicing out pieces ofkebabs from their heavy-laden spitswith the dexterity that only Kenyanwaiters have mastered. My hot plate ofwood is simmering with chunks of tila-pia like fish only a Malawian traveler re-miniscent of his home delicacy of theChambo equivalent can ask for. Acrossthe table, I see a fellow VPC beamingwith content at the medley of her cho-sen order. I have wished another col-lege on my left hand side Bon Appétitas I hum to the piece of music fromwhat would have been a juke box if itwere decades ago. The disc jockey isreally enjoying himself as if this is his re-tirement night.

As I watch one of the facilitators a rowaway, I remember that two days earlierhe had promised that there would bedancing tonight, and I wonder whetheranyone in the group will match thegymnastics of our elected ‘president’. As

my eyes wander further I note thatmany are busy in narrations of sorts totheir neighbors. The expression on oneface easily gives him away that he mightnot clamor for his favorite Japanesesea foods again after tonight’s delicacy.What a sparkling spectacle to behold,one such merry a-gathering that only aVPC program can accord!

“Do you know the words of that songplaying?” my immediate neighbor asksme. The piece is a Swahili melody, Ithink. “No.” I am very brief in my res-ponse. I used to hear the song in the‘80s and it used to be good to the ear.“The singer says ‘my tears are beginningto dry…’” He begins to translate forme the meaning inherent in the rest ofthe song. Now, singing about tears be-ginning to dry is normal and goodnews for any inspiring piece of musiclike that one.

For lack of a better rejoinder toprompt my neighbor to continue trans-lating the rest of the song to me, whichhe knows I will do, I interestedly ask,“Why? Why are the tears beginning todry?” If the evening were going to be ahappy one for me, the amusing reasonwhy the singer’s tears were beginningto dry triggers an excitement of delightin a very ironic way throughout mystay at table that evening. So I look athim as he prepares to give me the rea-

son. “The singer says ‘My tears are be-ginning to dry because you are goingaway…!”’ He instantly looks away deli-berately to let me digest the deep mo-ral of the values in the message. Itworks. I cannot suppress a smile as Iwish my fellow VPCs got that messagetoo.

After a year’s experience in the infor-mal conflict management strategies inthe Bank, none of us would wish our vi-sitors dry their tears when one of uswould be going away, let alone our-selves having tears begin to dry whensomeone is going away.

I reflect that the moral of the musicconcerns legacy. Values are about life-styles and belief systems. The lifestyleand belief systems make up one’s cha-racter. And character after one has pas-sed on translates into legacy. Legacy iswhat one leaves behind when he orshe is not physically there or in our caseis no longer a VPC. It is a constructionof reflection of one by those whomone leaves behind. While values are achoice, and character gets controlledand changed by an individual, when heor she leaves there is no control overone’s legacy. It is only up to those leftbehind to sing it out. The melody couldbe sweet or sour, but it is still sung out.The voices could be hoarse or tender,but the fact is that they sing it still. The

tune could be off-key or on-key, butyour legacy will be sung anyway?

In the world of inventions and art, le-gacy is like a protected patent whichone would not like others to commer-cially use. Unlike in the world of patentsand royalties however, if one’s characteris anything worth admiring, the royaltiesbecome so priceless because those leftbehind freely rush after it without beingcharged with piracy or infringement. Ifonly we realized how preciously legacyrewards, no stone would be left untur-ned to select one’s choicest life values,knowing that values represent the mor-tar of character building, the canvasson which Picasso would outline hispainting, and more than anything else-the notes of music that will be sungwhen we are gone. I get lost in reflec-tions and time passes so fast.

Sooner than later, my tilapia is gone. I’masked to pass on the chili as our ablehostess eventually reaches out for themicrophone and whispers somethingto the DJ. The music instantaneouslychanges to a fast tempo. I check thetime on my phone … about time I leftI muse. “Where are you going?” so-meone asks of me. I can only afford asmile. And looking around, I think tomyself: when all is written and read,and when we are gone, will the visitors’tears begin to dry or flow?

2009 Distribution of Cases Bankwide

by Category

Caseloads from 2004 to 2009


3

Under what circumstances isit justified to lie? Is the truththe ultimate moral imperativeor should we be willing to telllies? Are there some situa-tions, where a higher purposecan be served by not tellingthe truth? In practice, it is of-ten too easy to justify a lie,when we are only really trying

to serve our own interests.These are some of theissues about lying and telling the truth.

TTrruutthh aanndd CCoommmmoonn SSeennssee WWiissddoomm

If a loved one prepares a pie that is disappointing,should we feel a moral compulsion to tell themexactly what we feel? In these cases we can use ourwisdom and avoid telling an unnecessary truth. Wedon’t have to lie, nor do we have to immediatelymake them aware of their shortcomings which will

hurt their feelings. If so-mebody joys cooking,why do we have tospoil that by zealouslystating the truth? Thisdoes not mean we

have to falsely praise or flattery them. However, it isgood to take a diplomatic approach; being a badcook is hardly a crime. Hurting someone’s feeling isunnecessary. Similarly, if someone’s dress sense is‘unique’ don’t feel obliged to state exactly what is inyour mind. It is difficult to make rules; we have to use our innerwisdom for this kind of thing. One can always askshould I cry ‘wolf ’ when there is none.?

HHuummiilliittyy

There are times when we get into trouble and ins-tinctively we seek to lie to avoid damage to our per-sonal standing. However, if we are honest, we saveourselves from getting into complicated situationswhere we have to keep on lying to maintain false-hood. Usually, it is better to tell the truth, admit mis-takes and move on. It makes life simpler. There is alsogreat humility in admitting mistakes; it is this qualitythat people will appreciate and value.

DDoo YYoouu TTrruusstt PPeeooppllee??

We trust some people because they develop a re-putation for telling the truth. If we get into the habitof telling lies, then when we want to tell the truth itwill be disbelieved. At times telling the truth may bedifficult and does not seem the most expedientshort-term solution. But, a genuinely honest personwill inevitably become treasured over time.

WWhhaatt aarree YYoouurr MMoottiivvaattiioonnss ffoorr LLyyiinngg??

others – avoid unnecessary suffering to others?. Ho-wever, we have to be careful. Sometimes, we feel weare acting charitably towards others when really weare more concerned with our own standing. Un-fortunately, the mind is very good at justifying bad ac-tions such as lying; and the more we lie, the easier itbecomes.

RReellaattiivvee TTrruutthh aanndd tthhee UUllttiimmaattee TTrruutthh..

You may at times convince yourself that you cantell an outright lie to protect innocent people. Ins-tinctively, this shows that the exact truth is not theonly thing to consider. Life is not about a simple setof rules, and we may have to be adaptable; human

Perhaps that iswhat made itmore fun asthe KEFO staffretreat came to

a close on March 5, 2010, at the Sa-rova Whitesands Beach Resort inMombasa. While the retreat was mi-nutes away from coming to a close,the facilitator, Maureen Kacou, deci-ded that staff needed some morebonding. So the bonding belt it was.Participants were warned about thispractical and really funny illustration ofteam bonding as a light-hearted acti-vity which required the team to phy-sically move together, bonded by acellotape belt across the room. Twoteams were created and both deve-loped their strategy (see photos be-low) to go across the room in twominutes. Remarkably, the teamsstayed bonded and went across theroom in record two minutes. Theyalso kept the spirit of the game sha-ring in laughter. They were asked tosee the belt as constraints within theirorganization which may arise fromtime to time. Of importance washow the team would work togetherand develop clear strategies to over-come constraints or challenges.But that was just one of the team-building and fun activities which kept

KEFO staff at the edge during thetwo-day retreat. Before that, partici-pants had been asked to pair off andthen discreetly change their appea-rance in five different ways. Theirpartners were to identify the five dif-ferences. The objective of this exer-cise was to demonstrate people’sreaction to change, especially how itwas usually associated with loss. Peo-ple naturally took some of their clo-thing/jewelry off, only one participantadded an item. Some others werecreative and altered their looks justby changing a sleeve or button ap-pearance. It proved that people canactually adopt creative strategies todeal with change. The clear point tomake also was that change can hap-pen at any time and does not alwaysmean loss. It can and should also beseen as gain. Interestingly, on the firstday, and just after opening remarks bythe KEFO resident representative,each staff was asked to write three‘one-word’ describers which theythought defined them clearly. All des-cribers were mixed and pinned on aboard. Staff were then asked to pickthree describers and match withnames of individual staff members.Alas, what individual staff membersthought was descriptive of them-selves was actually matched onto

other staff members. One staff mem-ber who had described herself withthe words Frank, Direct, and Hard-working was actually matched withdescribers that said she was Aggres-sive, Emotional and Stressed. Thereyou are! That’s for you!

These fun activities and many otherswhich took place during the retreathelped KEFO staff to see the signifi-cance of acting as a family and hel-ped them to reflect on Bank core va-lues. Three groups worked on threeareas which required action after theretreat. Group One dealt with ‘Howcan we improve the effectiveness ofthe Country team; Country dialogue;Donor Coordination; ParticipatoryApproach; Liaison with regional or-ganizations?’ Group Two handled thequestion of ‘strategies for delivering

KEFO Corporate work plan 2010’while the third group addressed themore general question of ‘How canwe work together to improve ouroffice management processes?’ Anaction plan was produced coveringall three areas. Some of the propo-

sals called for weekly and monthlybrief meetings on corporate andprogramme issues; coffee breaks to-gether ; formal and informal lunchmeetings; celebrating formal and in-formal occasions such as birthdaystogether; improving personal inter-action by, for example, reducingemails and phone calls and encoura-ging face-to-face communication andlast, but not least, holding bi-annualretreats… All in the name of creatingconflict- less KEFO, tied by the cello-tape.

Should we always say the TruthBy Amira SOBHI, VPC EGFO

Values after we are goneBy Delight Joseph Ngwira, VPC, MWFO

morality has its limitations. Rules al-low for exceptions, especially theunwritten rules. It may not alwaysbe advisable to say what we think ofthis world, especially if it is judgmen-tal. However, others suggest there isa truth that is beyond the limitationsof this world. This ultimate truth isabout the essence of existence. Theultimate truth is the essence of ourtrue self, our higher consciousness; itis this truth that can never be com-promised. This ultimate truth cannotbe expressed in words, the impor-tant thing is being true to the hi-

ghest ideals and the illuminedconsciousness of the divine.

HHeerree aarree ssoommee ssuuggggeessttiioonnss oonn hhoowwnnoott ttoo ssttrreessss aabboouutt wwhheenn ttoo tteellll tthheettrruutthh::

• Follow your gut feeling. Your in-tuition will let you know when itis time to reveal what is in yourheart.

• Timing is everything. Do not timeyour truth when the other personis not ready to hear it or involvedwith his own stressful situation.

• Choose your words carefully –the way they will be received,not just the way you tell it.

• Pick a place that has positiveenergy to reveal your feelings.The listener will absorb the po-sitive energy and be in a bettermind frame to listen.

• Be prepared to give the otherperson some time to process.After all, you have been proces-sing for a long time.

• Just announcing your truth intoreality will be liberating! Acceptthe other person’s real response.

It might not be what you expec-ted or wanted!

FFiinnaallllyy

A truth that’s told with bad intentbeats all the lies you can invent.


4

Sorry, I have to correctmyself that we cannothave a conflict-freezone. Conflict is a natu-ral and normal occur-rence in a workplace.The issue is striking abalance between howmuch conflict exists wi-thin the working envi-

ronment. On one side, too much conflict cancreate a tense work environment in whichmorale and staff productivity could suffer. Onthe other hand, too little conflict can also leadto a stilted work environment with little crea-tivity and no room for innovative ideas. Whatwe need is therefore to strive for a workplacewith a minimal stressful environment.

For your information, the theme of this year’sConflict Transparency Week was “TogetherTowards a Conflict Competent Bank”. Theevent was launched with a powerful mes-sage. According to the programme, the eventcontinued with a presentation on the Revi-talization of Bank Values (Excellence, Profes-sionalism, Integrity, Team Spirit and Transpa-rency. These are values we need to embraceat ETFO.

Regards,Hailemariam

Workplace ConflictBy Hailemariam HAILEMESKEL,

VPC ETFO

Mr. AnatoleB i z o n g o ,VPC forCDFO, cap-tured somep o i n t sfrom theevents heldfor VPCs inN a i r o b i

from the February 21- 24, 2010.The following are some of his re-collections:

In collaboration with the Officesof Ethics, Staff Council andCHRM3, the OMBU held a jointmeeting with the VPCs and resi-dents representatives met inNairobi on 19 March 2010. Mr.Bizongo notes that during a ses-sion chaired by CSVP vice presi-dent, Kordje Bédoumra, theOMBU made a presentation onthe principal causes of conflictand the cost of unresolvedconflict. He points out thatsome notable costs of conflictpresented include:

• Time spent in resolvingconflict;

• Costs incurred by the Bankin terms of managing Humanressources;

• Loss of productivity and itsensuing costs.

He recalls that after the session,the vice president highlighted theimportance of communicationbetween managers and theirstaff to avoid unnecessary coststo the Bank.

Mr. Bizongo reports that the VPCsessions started with a review ofprogress made by the VPCs... theirsuccesses and difficulties as VPCsin the FOs. Emphasis was pla-ced on the principle of neutralityof the VPC. The document onBank policies and procedures washighlighted as an indispensible toolfor the VPC. Knowing the rulesand regulations of the Bank hadbeen underscored as what shouldenable VPCs to better executetheir tasks and to become moreeffective. An exemplary com-por tment, frank collaboration,respect for confidentiality, respectfor peers and supervisors waspointed out as some characteris-tics of values promoters

Mr. Bizongo mentions that a ses-sion on how people perceivedthings revealed how often peoplemade suppositions and deduc-tions which in themselves werethe sources of the conflict. Henotes that to break this cycle, oneneeded:

• to not react instantly from afirst impression;

• to make the issue more visi-ble

• to consult someone else’ viewand seek advice.

Mr. Bizongo recollects that in thepresentation on ‘The Bank’sConflict Resolution Mechanism’,namely; CHRM; SCO; Ethics Of-fice, and Staff Appeals the VPCs,were reminded to encouragetheir visitors to exhaust these less

formal channels before resortingto the services of the Staff Tribu-nal.

He also talks about the presenta-tion on Listening. VPCs were re-minded to listen to staff whocome to them for reassuranceand to be heard. He summarizedsome of the principal themes ofthe meeting in the following:

• sincerity is won through res-pect of confidentiality;

• competence is gained throughknowledge and application ofthe rules and procedures andintegrity through an exem-plary comportement; and

• the practice of professiona-lism.

Mr. Bizongo concludes by summa-rizing the meeting’s salient pointsas follows:

• the VPC is part of the Officeof the Ombudsman thoughhe does not play the role ofmediator ;

• the VPC must be neutral butnot passive;

• he must be independent; • he must provide his visitor

with reliable information; • the VPC must, on no occa-

sion, testify on behalf of his vi-sitor ;

• he must offer the best op-tions of solutions to his visitor;

• the VPC must know Bankrules and regulations andshould sensitize staff on therole of the VPC.

VPC 1st Review Training, Nairobi 21 - 24 February 2010By Anatole Désiré BIZONGO,

VPC, CDFO


5

Angelique at the StaffTribunal Session in Addis

I had the honour to attendfrom April 19-21, 2010, inAddis Ababa, a training semi-nar on the Administrative Tri-bunal chaired by its Secre-tary General and organizedfor field offices (Ethiopia, Su-dan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzaniaand Rwanda). I also met my

VPC colleague, Ibrahim, Mohamed Mahgoub (VPCSudan). The session was very interesting.

The role and the contribution of the Office of theOmbudsman were highlighted and commended.The tribunal has seen a tremendous decrease inthe number of cases. Congratulations to all of you,especially the Office of the Ombudsman; VPCsare also doing a good job. I will encourage you allto send in your formal written report and log.

AngeliqueVPC-RWFO

Briefing MAFO StaffAbout VPC Meeting in NairobiMohamed El Ouahabi, VPC, MAFO

The picture above shows VPC for MAFO briefingand sharing experience acquired at the VPC trai-ning session in Nairobi with staff of the MoroccoField Office.

In thir ty (30)days time, theWorld’s big-gest footballingt o u r n a m e n twill begin.T h i r t y - t w o(32) teams willset off in theirquest for the

big prize cash aside a gold trophyand pride for all their efforts.

Football or soccer is a simple gamemade complex, it has eleven playersa-piece and each must wear a mat-ching uniform except the goal keeper.It has rules such as offside, penalty,goal kick or throw in the procee-dings of the game are managed by aperson often dressed in black calledthe referee and he/she is assisted bya 2nd and 3rd official with a MatchCommissioner or 4th official.

Much like the traffic police in somecountries, the sharp blast of the whis-tle has great significance on whathappens on the pitch.

One might be asking why an officerin the Office of The Ombudsmanshould be discussing the world cup.The point is that the game has a setof rules much like the rules that go-vern the workplace

Bank rules and regulations are contai-ned in a document titled: Staff Rulesand Regulations. These are augmen-ted or supplemented by the Presi-dential Directives and AdministrativeMemoranda that might from time totime be issued. The aim is to providestaff with guiding documents as totheir rights and obligations.

Regulations allow for perceptions tobe removed and for a referencepoint to be created if you like a gui-deline on how or what to do. Foot-ball as you might know is a competi-tive sport with a lot of body contact,but even that contact is guided.

For instance, players are allowed totackle that is to say challenge for theball to retrieve it from an opponent,but this must be with good measure.A tackle considered ‘illegal’ might at-tract a yellow card or a warning,whilst a ‘crude tackle’ might draw aninstant red which is a sending-off cardfor the offender.

Similarly, in the workplace such asthe bank, there is what is known asmisconduct. Misconduct might causesomeone to be brought to face adisciplinary measure or in a ‘gravemisconduct’ the staff might get aninstant dismissal. It’s all about main-taining a semblance of order and all

parties are expected to know andabide by the rules.

Oh but one might ask, does thegame need these rules? Couldn’t wejust rely on value judgment of aplayer to admit they fouled and playcould be halted with the ball given tothe other side? Well it’s about com-petition and in a competition, there issomeone seeking to be declared avictor so this victory must be clothedwithin some guidelines. Imagine if ateam were allowed to call its ownpenalty and free kicks or off-sidesthis is a recipe for anarchy. The samerules apply in the workplace. Onecannot just get up and say take timeoff. This is governed by a leave appli-cation or sometimes it might be ne-cessary to separate from the bank.Again a clear process sits on howthat should be done. Rules allow foreither party to enforce a rule or re-fer to regulation when things do notgo exactly according toexpectations. They allowfor a measure of fair-ness and equity in theapplication of rules forall parties concerned.

But in conclusion, thereis one point of depar-ture from the worldcup and this is really

with the enforcers of the rules. Infootball, the person with the whistleis a law unto his/herself when hereaches for his top pocket to metepunishment, the players may protestmeekly however if he reaches for hisback or front pocket the protestsare stronger because he will flashthat red card. In essences he calls it ashe sees it.

In the Bank, staff have a recourse totest the application of the rules andregulations as they affect them. Thiscan be with the Ombudsman, SCO,Staff Appeals, Ethics, CHRM and evenCEGL l. From the discussions above,its is not in doubt that rules and re-gulations play a pivotal role in theday-to-day work of the staff as willthe rules in the World Cup.

May the best team win.

Alisand.

A Place for Rules and Regulationsby A. Singogo, Ombu, Tunis


6

SSuurrvviivvoorrss ooff tthhee 6600’’ss (Unk-nown author)

A 20-year-old lad was bothmarveled and surprised at theranting of his dad about hisheydays…

‘In the good old days when Iwas your age, we didn't havethe Internet. We went insteadto open air park-in movies, andhung around with friends.When it came to school re-search work, it was a competi-tion between us students tobe seen in the Library. My ohmy, there is a photo of myselfand Uncle Tommy coming outof the Balm Memorial Librarycarrying 5 of those big books,written by Aristotle, JamesJoyce etc!

E-mail was non-existent, butwe would take pleasure in wri-ting letters … to our girlfriends,of course - with a pen! Wewould then walk all the wayacross to the post office a fewmiles away and put it in a mail-box. You know, I have a few ofthose letters that your mumwrote to me. I even kept thestamps from letters sent by mypen-pals from all over theworld. It took weeks to get aletter from a pen-pal in Japan,but the stamps were worthkeeping. I still have them sta-shed away in the tin-box in theattic.

I remember when my mumgave me a lashing for havinghidden a bottle of beer withthe laundry. Child ProtectiveServices did not have a say in

parental correction such asthat! As a matter of fact, anyparents had the permission tocorrect any upstart kid with awell-deserved spanking or aresounding slap even in public!We just had to behave!

MP3's, Napsters, iTunes ! Notin our wildest of dreams didwe imagine that thing calleddownloading - it’s so easy! Notfor us! We ‘copied’ music orjust swiped tape recorder cas-settes from the recordingstore. Oh, the only problemwith discs and cassette tapeswas when they got scratchedor end up wound around thespools because of too frequentplaying. But then we found asolution for the tape… just cutout the part that was messedup and scotch the two looseends together again with cello-tape. It worked! It became al-most like ‘old’ again.

And what about telephones?‘Call waiting’, Caller ID, 'cellphones’ SMS…. All that wasfancy stuff! If you left thehouse, you just didn't make acall or receive one. When thephone rang, you had no ideawho it was! It could be yourschool, your parents checkingto see whether you were athome, the annoying neighboror the police ... You just didn'tknow!!! You had to pick it upand take your chances!

The black and white TV despiterunning-in techno-color hadjust one channel so we didnot really need a remote forchanging the channels!!! But

there were r-e-a-l motion filmssuch as Joe Manix, Land of theGiants, Fury, The Four Bucka-neers, Bonanza, Perry Mason,The Invisible Man, and BugsBunny for the Cartoon series,not the desk-top created stuffdished out to viewers today.

We had fewer serious burnswith the traditional stoves thanwhat is happening with micro-wave ovens now. We just hadto be sure to be standingaround the stove till the foodgot cooked or else the burntsmell was what warned us thatwe had forgotten somethingon the fire. Imagine that, ittaught us how to wait for din-ner and be patient!

We learnt how to iron ourshirts, do the dishes, and keepour rooms tidy because therewere no fancy electronics towaste time with! Hoovers???

People were deemed worthyto drive a car when they hadpassed the driving test at theripe age of 21. The manual carwas all there was and you hadto be adept and alert. Thesedays with the Automatic carsand GSP, even a five-year oldcan drive you from Tunis toHammamet.

And how…, enquires theyoung man more amazed thanever, how did you manage tosurvive in that century even 5minutes!

Oh, explains the middle ageman with a sigh, this was ac-tually only 40 years ago!

Laughter is the Heart’s best Medicine Life-long Education:Some Wise Reflections

Love & MarriageLove may be blind, but marriage is an

eye-opener. (unknown author)

Morning Motivation Contribution by Mohammed Abudullahi

When I woke up this morning lying in bed, I was asking myself;

What are some of the secrets of success in life?

I found the answer right there, in my very room.

Carry a Heart that Never Hates.Carry a Smile that Never Fades.Carry a Touch that Never Hurts

Say it and … ACT IT

Contribution

by M. Okotie-Ndubuisi

How can you "live a life fil-led with love for others"today? What acts of kind-ness, generosity, goodnesscan you do? What wordscan you say (or write) tobuild up others? Goodquestions to ponder …

and answer with action.

2010 First Quarter Events

1. Resident representative meeting in Nai-robi, from February 17-19, 2010. In col-laboration with CHRM, SCO and EthicsOffice. The meeting was attended by re-sident representatives and chaired byCSVP vice president, Kordje Bédoumra.

2. VPC 1st Review Training, Nairobi, February19-24, 2010. The training brought togetherVPC’s representing 23 field offices

Ombu Events


7

3. Conflict Transparency Week Ob-served Bank-wide from March15-19, 2010, in collaboration withCHRM, SCO and Ethics Office.

4. A training for Bank Managers onConflict Competencies was offe-red by Camilo Azcarate, Managerof Mediation Services, WorldBank Group. The training washeld on 17 March.

5. Mr. A. Singogo, Ombudsman andMr. Kisubi Mohamed, Ethics Offi-cer, undertook a mission to SLFO& GHFO. The mission was anopportunity to visit the FOs and totalk to local staff about the rolesof the Ombudsman and EthicsOffices.

6. IOA Training in New Orleans, USAfrom April 5 – 10, 2010. Thetraining was attended by Mrs. A.Orraca-Ndiaye, Mr. A. Singogo,and the Office Assistant, Ms.Mercy Okotie-Ndubuisi. A farewellparty was held for Mr. WilburHicks, Ombudsman IMF and closecollaborator of OMBU. Mr. Hicksis retiring after many years of dedi-cated service to the IMF & IOA.

7. The Office of the Ombudsman re-cently moved to its new premises atthe ATR building. The new officesare located on the 2nd floor, fromrooms 233 to 237. Below are somepictures of our new premises.

Ombu Events

Upcoming events1. 2010 Annual Meetings in Abidjan: The Ombudsman participated in Annual RR

seminar which was being held as a sideline meeting to the Bank’s Annual Mee-ting. The seminar was held on the theme: ‘One Bank through Decentraliza-tion’. The Ombudsman spoke on the theme ‘Conflict Resolution in the FO’s :Roles of the VPCs”


© 2010 - AfDB - Design, External Relations and Com

munication Unit/YA

L

Offices of The Ombudsman:

ATR 2nd Floor234 - 237

Telephone Numbers:(216) 71 102 114 / 71 102 141 71 102 944 / 71 103 091Dedicated E-mail address: [email protected]

Fax number: (216) 71 831 552

volume1 may 2010 issue5 ombu - afdb.org · staff with the primary objective of providing confi- ......

Documents