I Doff My Hat

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As I picked up my hat to finish my dressing for work this morning it just struck me that all of a sudden Hats have gone out of fashion in Abuja.

Fridays are for local attires and we all look forward to it – who never tire for Tie, Shirt, and Suit, Monday to Friday? It is a National policy to wear local fabrics on Fridays as an economic policy to support the local textile industry; even Thursdays have been added to the ‘Dress Down’ days by many Ladies in the Enterprise who wear ‘Ankara’ Suits.

So in addition to the ‘Suit fatigue’, many people look forward to Fridays as a day to showcase their traditional attires. You can easily know who the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo people, who are the majority in the Enterprise are. But once in a while, you will also see the Efik, the Bini, the Tiv, and the other Minorities who also wish to represent their culture.

And so on this day, when I picked up the Hat, my heart was back home in the Niger Delta. Then, the thought flashed in my mind that the Hat that was ubiquitous during the Jonathan days from 2007 to 2015 was hard to find. In those days, especially the period when he was President, Hats were worn by everyone. There is no man I know who didn’t acquire a Hat at that time, many women did too. Then, also our local Artire ‘Woko’ rechristened ‘Senator’ became the official style as well. Over time, the Woko merged with Kaftan and became a little longer. Everyone was on a roll and that has survived but the hat is hard to find.

As I thought deeper about it, one thing is clear, the factors that affect even the smallest of our decisions such as dressing, feeding, and living generally are far-flung. Imagine what influences the big ones. The things you believe as true, the basis of your life and hope for the future, have you examined them and where they come from? What are your major influences? President Jonathan didn’t have any direct influence on many people who joined the bandwagon of Hat wearing and they will never admit he influenced them. I am sure that when you probe your life, you will find influences from untoward places. Do you notice the merger of Kaftan and Woko? What are the values and practices that you are merging with yours? Will they make you a better person as the ‘Senator’ has become or are they circumstantial and would fade fast when the prevailing circumstance change?

Make I wear my hat jeje dey go work o. Will we see a resurgence of Hat wearing in Abuja again? Lol, time will tell. This dressing na me choose am. Other aspects of my life? I will keep probing to ensure that they are based on truth and that the influences I allow in my life are wholesome and eternal. What about you? What has happened to your Hat? *Wink.

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