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.
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