Some Nigerian Men Need to Groom – The Story of Four Nigerian Gentlemen

Posted by admin Columnists, P Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

By Phil Tam-Al Alalibo NNP – Feb. 2, 2011 – The importance of grooming for men cannot be overstated, especially, when one is lodged in Western societies where sharp appearance and tidy disposition appear to be the currency for advancement, respectability and sociability. It becomes even more expedient when one is a professional in the US, UK, Canada, etc, competing, as it may, with the natural-born citizens and others who are equally or more qualified. A well-groomed man, even if deficient in other qualities is always exuding with confidence and an unparalleled air of competence, even if imagined, fanned by a soothing ego. I attended an international workshop a few days ago where it was noted “The way you are addressed depends on how you are dressed” and nothing, my friends, could be farthest from the truth.

Against this backdrop, I must note that there are millions of Nigerian men who groom daily and appear like a million bucks to the sheer envy of their wives, girlfriends, colleagues, friends, classmates and what have you. I see them on the streets of New York City, at the universities, at national and international conferences and at several other places around the country. But yet, there are many more that must be convinced on the utter importance of grooming and neat appearance, especially, in professional setting, and there, indeed, lies the problem.

Only recently, I was part of a seven-member hiring committee for a large organization that interviewed six Nigerians out of a total of thirty-three candidates interviewed for various positions within the organization. Of the six, two were young ladies in their late twenties and four gentlemen in their early to late thirties, perhaps, one in his early forties. I mention this not to diminish these respectable individuals in anyway, but only as an example of the difference appearance makes in the decision-making process behind closed doors when all indexes appear equal and not easily discernable.

This is such a crucial point that every professional Nigerian gentleman in the Western world (and even in Nigeria) must take note of if he must continue to impress and make his mark in a fiercely competitive professional world. Nigerian men in the Diaspora who are engaged in various spheres of professional endeavors need to latch on to every advantage, and professional appearance plus sheer competence are two of the important variables in this regard. If the nature of one’s job does not allow for professional appearance, that’s fine, but to the extent that it does, its impact, overt or covert, must therefore not be overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

Lest I be grossly misconstrued and before the long knives are dangled over my neck, I must hasten to add that this is not about wearing a $2,000 Amani suit (God knows I don’t have one) or a $300 pair of Made in Italy shoes, (I don’t have one either), but really about the simple things one would learn in Grooming 101 early in life such as polishing one’s shoes, ironing one’s cloths properly, applying cologne and deodorant to areas that easily “go whack” due to the rigors of the day, ensuring a clean shirt collar without rings, especially, if the shirt is white, etc. These are the fundamentals of neat appearance which appear to be fast dissipating like the troubled ozone layer.

And back to the candidates; I confess now, that all of the six were highly qualified for their positions and competed well with other candidates from around the world. I personally liked them as their intellect was convincing; but there was a major problem with the four gentlemen – their appearance. Even though it should not factor in such a crucial decision as long as the substance is there – in this case, it was too blatant to ignore. The way the men appeared for their interviews, I’m afraid, left much to be desired by all members of the committee, hereby, underscoring the importance of physical appearance in such situations. And in spite of the fact that they articulated themselves rather well in their various areas of expertise, their appearance, invariably, tipped the scale in favor of other candidates who performed equally well and for good measure appeared quite professional.

One of the gentlemen appeared in a sorrowfully un-ironed suit and black pair of shoes that appeared to have turned white from months of going unpolished. How much is a bottle of black shoe polish at Wal-Mart? I checked, it was $3.95, $4.27 after tax. Noticing that he came all the way from California for the interview, he must have failed to request an iron from the hotel he lodged in. But the prevailing thinking among the committee members was – if he could not carter to his appearance on such an important day, what sort of appearance would he put up when representing the organization in crucial events and conferences? Another appeared with beards capable of making the marks in the Guinness Book of Records as the most unkempt. It was all over his face like the map of Nigeria with thirty-six states littering the landscape. If you must keep beards, at least let them be neat and well-groomed. He was a piece of work, a total write-off in this regard. And if that were an exception, yet one more odorized the entire boardroom to the point that one of the interviewers excused himself for some fresh air under the pretense of going to the washroom.

The intrigue here is that the other candidates we saw did not have this problem and they were from all parts of the world as these were international jobs. We saw candidates from Indonesia, Japan, Nicaragua, Brazil, South Africa, Croatia, Turkey and many other places; all, appeared in appreciable professional attire for their interview, but the Nigerians and that brings me to the last gentleman.

He was impressive, but not entirely; well-groomed with sharply edged hairline and neatly combed hair; he appeared in what many would agree was quite a professional appearance, but his color coordination was awful and painfully vexing. He wore a thinly striped black suit and pants (fine) but with green tie and green shoes with two running white stripes around the edges. And just out of curiosity, where on earth can one buy green shoes and ties – at what boutique on God’s green planet do they sell such oddities?

This gentleman may be patriotic clothing in our national colors, but you would agree that there is a time and place, perhaps, on October 1^st, for such declaration of nationalistic inclining, certainly not when one is applying for a high-paying job at a prestigious organization of immense repute. When it came time for recommendation of candidates, all four were seriously considered, but since these positions had much to do with interacting with outside NGOs, governmental bodies, high government officials of foreign countries, etc, appearance made the difference and the gentlemen lost out on a potentially career-defining lucrative opportunities.

Many times, I have come across Nigerian (African men as well) men that could do with a little grooming. And by way of a serious warning, for those still searching the field for that special lady, hear it well now that appearance plus substance are key factors to success, especially, if well-educated professional Nigerian women are the target. By all means, they should stay away from green shoes even if the lady is a die-hard environmentalist and a card-carrying member of the Green Peace Organization. If they ever hope to win the hearts of one of these ladies Fela (of infinite memory) would call “I be Lady O”, they must, as a matter of urgency, spruce it up; for they love men with neat appearance, professional and presentable to their circle of friends and most importantly, to their families. Even those plucked from the village, these days, I hear, have very high standards.

Mixing it up with the Nigerian guys here in the hot summer months on the soccer field, we often take off our shirts to slug it out – I notice that some do and some do not shave their armpits – and that’s fine based on personal preference. But for those that do not, it means paying special attention to that area as it often becomes a laboratory for chemical combustion emitting offensive odor. I am not sure if these men have special ones in their lives who could tell them ever so lovingly to spice it up. And speaking of spicing it up, I am reminded of a rather comical situation while I was in the university in the US of a Nigerian classmate who had the un-enviable task of telling his Nigerian friend that he (the Nigerian friend) was in desperate need of fresh breath after what was seen to be a case of chronic bad breath. Confused on how to broach this sensitive topic without bearing offense, he collaborated with a group of Nigerian students, to buy, on the occasion of the birthday of this friend with the alleged bad breath, several packs of chewing gum, mints, a whole crate of mouthwash, toothpaste and brush garnished with a gift certificate for Wal-Mart to replenish the stock once dry. I remember contributing $5 or so to this endeavor and it paid huge dividends as the gentleman turned it around to the merriment of all.

And not to forget the two young Nigerian ladies fresh out of law school who were among the pack of thirty-three; they were offered the jobs, not because of their appearance, but for the experience and knowledge the committee hoped they would bring to the organization. I noticed, like authentic Nigerian ladies, that they dressed for the occasion; nice well-done hair draping over nice dark colored suit pants with marching feminine briefcases and moderately high-heeled shoes, all well-complimented by a cheerful smile – what a winning combination. We certainly have much to learn from our lovely ladies.wp_posts

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