One of the things I enjoyed as a functional and active journalist is traveling in public vehicles. For years, I have found traveling in public transportation the most lucrative sources of news for me to fill my desires for news to write. In fact, whenever I have the privilege of traveling with a colleague or a friend in a private vehicle, I may enjoy the free ride, but I will certainly be bereft of a viable source of news for several editions. So, for me, traveling in a public transportation makes my news collecting task quite simple.
This particular day, on a market day that was Orieamaraku market to be in session. I had just bordered a mini-bus commonly known as 1414, which is built to carry only fourteen passengers at a time. But Mr. ochopassenger would not have it. He jam-packed twenty passengers in this particular vehicle. Some passengers complained, but he did not behave as if he has ears. He was busy bringing in passengers until there was no space even for a lizard to be squeezed in. Then, he shouted, “everybody, your money.”
Some women who were apparently used to such condition, quickly paid because they were in a hurry to get to Orieamaraku market for early bargaining of selling and buying. They were the first to pay, but few other younger passengers tried to protest, saying they would not pay the usual fare because the vehicle was overloaded. The agboro would not take it. He just dragged out a Youngman who proved to be the leader of the protest. Quickly as he was about to push the Youngman out of the vehicle, the Youngman who was full of energy and well built resisted and blocked the door with his two legs. Round one, fighting began between the two contestants. The agboro equally proved tough but the Youngman proved tougher because looking at him, it appeared that he was a frustrated person, full of anger and looking for any opportunity to let off his venom.
Few minutes on, passengers in the vehicle prevailed on the Youngman to pay or to get out of the vehicle so that they could be on their various ways. He sighed loudly and reluctantly paid not directly to the Mr. ochopassenger but through another Youngman in the vehicle but not without lashing out at the agboro saying, “this is the only job you can have, just to lead vehicles?” As if the agboro was expecting that insult, quickly retorted, “This is better than armed robbery.” Everybody in the vehicle applauded him but still were not happy with the number he had loaded in the vehicle. Then he began a round of tongue lashing at each other. The agboro remarked, “you look like a graduate without a job. Even I doubt if your degree is not a fake, just like the one my younger brother bought from one of the local Universities.” The Youngman looked touched as he burst, “whether it is fake or not, at least, I have not even one but two degrees.” But the agboro would not be beaten to it as he replied, “nobi to have three degrees or even ten, but go and get job with them. Degrees my foot.” He quickly handed over the money he collected to the driver after making the usual deduction according to the park rule. In the next few minutes, we were on our way out of the park.
Few kilometers away from the park, the driver of the bus pulled into a filling station to fuel his vehicle. It was a little long line and he could not afford to wait for a long time. He tried to jump the queue, but was blocked by another equally fierce looking driver whose face was clearly written fight, fight and fight. Our driver, retreated but instead moved out of that station, to another less congested filling station where he easily re-fueled his vehicle. But suddenly, the filling station attendant did not have change of twenty naira to give to our driver. A brief argument ensued which would have delayed us for another ten minutes. One of the anxious women just stretched her hand from inside the vehicle and gave our driver twenty naira for us to move. Because she was running late to catch the early session of the market. Thank God, what a generous woman, indeed. The apparent young graduate remarked to the woman, “madam, I wished you had parted that twenty naira to me, today would have been a good beginning morning for me.” Another woman asked the young man, “is twenty naira your problem?” she untied the end of her wrapper and brought one hundred naira note and gave to the young man as she said, “nwam, you can have this because I have a young graduate in my home and he has been looking for a job for three years now after he has served his fatherland.” The Youngman looked at the woman with grace, love and respect and said, “madam, may today be your greatest and luckiest day.” He prayed clutching the one hundred naira in his hand. Then everybody in the vehicle responded in unison, “Amen.”
Now we were on our way uninterrupted. But on our reaching Akabo junction, “police tax-collectors were already manning the road, checking every vehicle but collecting fifty naira from public transport vehicles. I became more inquisitive as I looked at one of the policemen with disdain and frowned face. He observed my look and asked me to come down for questioning. Everybody in the vehicle hushed at him. But he proved authoritatively tough, insisting that he must interrogate me. Unknown to us, one of the passengers was a young lawyer going to a court at Iho. He called on the policeman and told him “officer, I am a lawyer, this Youngman has done nothing wrong to you, why must you asked him to come down for an interrogation, is he a suspect?” The lawyer queried. As if the Youngman has been emboldened, he resisted coming down. Then I told the police officer, “officer, I too, I am a journalist, rushing to cover event at Enugu.” He flashed at his face his ID. The policeman remarked, “this vehicle is full of trouble makers,” as he slapped on the body of the vehicle signaling the driver to move. But not without collecting his “tax” from our driver. Round two, I said to myself.
As we zoomed off in the hope that the early hiccups were over, as we reached Atta market square, there was unprecedented hold-up resulting in a long line of vehicles waiting to move. Fortunately, there was a woman in the vehicle who knew the area very well. She advised the driver to vie off, directing our driver how best to maneuver our way through. This our driver did and we reached Orie Amaraku without any more challenge. The two anxious women disembarked in a hurry to catch up with the lost time.
Instead of our driver to give us some breathing space in the vehicle, he began to pick passengers enrout to Enugu. Since we could not deter him from such misbehaviour, we merely ignored him.
Then an argument ensued as the driver nearly plunged the vehicle into a deep pot hole on the road. Smartly enough, he managed to save our lives. One of the passengers cursed the driver for such a reckless driving.
“You shut up your mouth,” the driver cursed, asking, “go and blame Okorocha,” he urged. Another passenger in the vehicle, a middle-aged man without doubt knowledgeable in the affairs of local politics, he retorted, “no, you should not blame Owelle for this road. This is a federal road.” “No, it is not a federal road, it is certainly a State road.” Another man in the vehicle said with absolute assurance that it was a State road.
Then we began a long hour of argument between the two men on the performances of Jonathan and Okorocha. Each tried to out-argue the other.
“Jonathan is a nice man but he is too weak as a leader,” one person in the vehicle uttered. “No, he is neither a nice man nor a good leader. He is as weak as village headmaster,” another added.
The man who had earlier started the argument that it is a State road, lashed out at Jonathan. “That Mbamiri man, he is not doing anything for the Igbo. Nothing, absolutely nothing. He is focusing everything on how to win a second term.”
The second man who by the strength of his argument and the self-assured posture, probably belongs to Jonathan’s party, opened up what looked like a marathon lecture to the passengers.
“Jonathan may be weak in some people’s eyes, he may be slow in others, he has managed to keep this country together without it breaking up as many would like to see.” He reeled out a number of good things.
He pointed out the restoration of rail line from the North to the West. Saying that it would not be long before that from Lagos to Port Harcourt. Adding that there has been a little increase in electricity supply. The allowance of youth Corpers has been increased and nobody has ever heard of federal officers not being paid at the end of any month nor even the federal pensioners. He went on and on giving out list of what Jonathan has done, which I as an alert journalist have not heard.
Then he turned to Owelle, saying, “he is a pretender, actor, cunning, deceiving people with too many lies and false promises of things he could not afford.” One of the passengers quickly pointed out that his road projects have been going on very well and in all parts of the State. Almost everybody in the vehicle except myself laughed derisively. Some said that his roads are just built on cotton wools because his contractors are not being paid. Another in the vehicle, a middle aged lady, said, “at least I am a teacher in Imo State and I have been taking my salaries regularly since Owelle came to power. And he gave us ten thousand naira each to buy a suit.” She was challenged instantly by another lady who lashed out, “teachers are the only people in the State? He is doing it for you teachers to support him in 2015.” Another person, a man added, “keke riders are also enjoying the fruits of his administration because they supported him during the election.”
The young graduate who has remained silent all along now opened up and said, “I supported and voted for Okorocha but he has disappointed a lot of youths. None of his promises has been fulfilled. It looks as if he takes delight in promising things he cannot provide. A Leader should not tell lies to the youths because they hold key to our States future. Don’t you see how he is in Atlanta telling the people that the Igbo has never had Senate President. Does he know the history of our State at all? What of Evan Enwerem, Okadigbo, Aldophus Wagbara, Ken Nnamani and Pius Anyim. Were they not Senate Presidents? Those who know him should advice him to always check things he says before he says them. That is going to be his undoing in future.”
As the argument went on, we reached Enugu. Then I said to myself, what a trip, what entertaining passengers, Journalists could find news anywhere.
