May 24, 2026
By Bunmi Sofola
As Nikky made her way to her office that fateful Monday morning, she saw a group of some female members of staff clustering round the photo copiers and chattering excitedly. When they saw her, the silence was eerie, and instead of scurrying off to their seats, they looked at her with defiance.
“I simply ignored them”, Nikky recalled. “ordinarily, I would have read the riot act to them, but I was in no mood for any petty accusations. I shut the door of my office, got ready to say my regular office prayer when my intercom buzzed. I wanted to ignore it but it was from a close colleague and she was persistent. ‘Have you read the papers?’, she asked conspiratorially mentioning a particular tabloid. ‘No’, I snapped, ‘you know I don’t read trash like that, most of their stories are rubbish anyway’.
“If I were you, I would have a look’, she continued: When I asked her why, she whispered. ‘Better you read it yourself and phone me later. Why don’t you send for a copy?’ I was really curious by now. I sent for my secretary and asked her to get me a copy of this must-read magazine. She told me smugly that she had one and gave me her copy, hovering for my reaction. I told her to beat it!
