Skip to main content

The Spirit of Christmas


   I took a drive through the streets of Lagos with my mom last week Saturday. Everything and everyone I saw reminded me of how Nigerians were, are and will be.The roads were still terrible, the weather hot and the aura of the community still the same. The Okada riders continuously rode the streets despite warnings of impending ban, the PHCN was yet to release power to the people and prices sky rocketed as was the norm at the end of every year. But what baffled me were the people I saw. Even at Christmas time, they still had the purposeful stride to succeed. Each diligent step explained their drive to beat the odds and make ends meet despite the fact that the year is practically over. The belief that all wasn't lost was evident on their faces, and they all wanted to accomplish something before the year completely ran out.     

    Just before I got to my destination, I noticed the cars ahead had slowed down considerably. A couple of youths in the community had mounted a road block. They did this in order to secure their "Christmas bonus" from those who rode their streets. The pedestrians weren't spared either; they had to "settle" before they crossed. Though a lot of people didn't pay, some others indulged them. My mom was warmly greeted by them. They knew her well considering she rode the route frequently. A few of them walked up to her side and I picked up a few slangs like:
"Maami (mother)" "Alaye mama (Cash madam)" "Olori (leader)" "Jeun loo (chop dey go)" E ye ran fun awon boys" (settle the boys)". Smiling, she gave their leader (a tall muscular guy who was about twenty six years, but looked forty due to his incessant smoking of marijuana) ₦500, and was allowed to pass amid shouts of "E lenu gan (your word is law, whatever you say goes)" "Ori yin wa n be, Ori yin foka sibe".  They raised their hands to the air stamping their two feet as a form of respect saying "Twale Owo meji loke fun eyan kan (two hands up for one person/you alone)". A few offered prayers for my mom and our family, while the rest assumed the post of traffic warden and tried to clear the road. 
    
Those jobless youths had discovered a way to extort money from commuters for their personal needs. It was all in the spirit of Christmas.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE KEEPER CHAPTER 1

Hello dear reader, top of the morning to you. I hope like me, you're in high spirits this morning πŸ’ƒ   This year has been like a roller coaster ride, 😡 but thank God for his mercies.  With the ASUU strike still on, I have had more time to dedicate to my other passion, writing stories πŸ˜ŠπŸ˜†πŸ˜‰ The story below is the first chapter from a short story I just completed titled "THE KEEPER". As usual, I will not publish all the chapters because I want to have it published 😁However, I will try to post 3 chapters here.  Do enjoy and share your opinion in the comment section, thank you 😘  Chapter 1 As night fell on the quiet government residential area of Ikeja Lagos, Motola Okafor smoothed the crease on her dining table cloth and took a step back to admire her work. The dishes with Chris’ favourite meal sat in the middle of the table, expensive china and silver wear neatly arranged, a bottle of champagne in the ice bucket, and two wine glasses beside each plate. The sce...

"I HEART YOU" : local or endearing?

Let me start by stating that I mean no disrespect to anyone but I have to ask, what is with this common phrase "I heart you?" Is it because of the general miconception that love exists in our hearts? Or because society has tagged the heart as the birth, growth and resting place of love? What about the other school of thought that believes love exists in our brain? After all, memories of your beloved is stored in your brain, so please where does the "I heart you" phrase come to play? Many will argue with me and say that the racing of our hearts when our beloved is closeby, justifys the phrase. If that is so, then I guess those who subscribe to the belief of butterflies in our tummy should be allowed to coin theirs? How will you react if someone says "I stomach you?" I don't know about you, but thoughts of little Red Riding Hood swallowed by the wolf will be my impression plus an obvious look of surprise followed immediately by horror. That is if I d...

THE COW TAKING A STROLL!!!

A close friend of mine gisted me about his trip to Ibadan recently. It was so hilarious, I decided to share it with you. Enjoy: Deshile was very eager to attend his best friend's dad's thanksgiving ceremony. It was gonna start in the morning and finish by 2pm. He set out very early at around 7:15am to beat the traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. As luck will have it, he was on the express by 8:40am. Afraid of arriving late, he sped like a smuggler running from the police. He was soon to realize that his luck would run out. When last did you travel on the express? Quite recently? If not, let me acquaint you with "Deshile's Guide to : A Safe and Stress Free Journey On The Express" -Set out early -Check your tires, engine, petrol tank, etc -Pack enough food and drink for yourself and use the washroom before you set out -Pray to God for journey mercies - YOU WILL NEED IT Anyway, Shile's car was about to disappoint him. The traffic was very bad and the...