I met an upcoming criminal

I met an upcoming criminal. I can picture your reaction, that was mine too. Grab your popcorn, I don’t mind.

Incase you are wondering how it happened, let’s start from the beginning.

The day ended in a sour mood, it was more like everything was going wrong around me, you know how crazy that feeling can be. I hate that too.

It was weighing me down and felt like spilling a tear or two (i have been crying a lot lately👀) but no, we can’t do that outside. So, instead of walking to the junction with my colleagues (because that’s GIST time, you know) , I decided to stop the third bike that came my way.

Immediately, I sat down and signal for us to move, he said, “This life hard o!”

I seriously don’t need a reminder, but he didn’t care because he continued, “Me I don tire, you know say fuel don turn 1,400”

“Ah! E don reach so?” I asked, knowing he needed a response.

“Aswear! I go lie for you? This money now wey I dey get for bike and all the sun wey I dey collect, e no even reach at all.” He went on and on about how unfair life is until there was a pause.

We were stopped by those ticket holders . And for the millionth time, I wish I could understand Hausa because why is the argument taking so long? I just wanted to get home and forget the day. I mindlessly watched them talk and I discovered that he is begging them to pardon him but they were not bulging.

Should I get down from this bike and find another one?

Would that be rude?

“Madam, abeg, you get change?” The bike man turned and asked.

“No, I no get change. I’m only with the money that I will pay you.”

“Oya, give them mey dem give you change.” I did and gave him the change to avoid stories.

He drove off immediately but I could notice that he was fuming. He hissed again and again.

At the fourth hiss, (I was counting, sorry😭) , he said, “This country dey vex me. How much I con gain from work today? Fuel go collect money, these people go collect too. If they no even collect am, police go still do their own. I go leave this country soon. Hope no dey here at all.”

“Where you wan go?” I asked, my sadness had taken a back seat.

“I go go Ghana”

“What’s the guarantee that it’s going to be better there?” I honestly didn’t know why I asked this.

“Me, I no know o. I no even know how I go take comot. I no get mama and papa , I dey hustle for myself but things dey always collect my money. Since this fast, I just dey serious dey pray for myself but all these things just dey vex me.”

He paused and continued, “If I no leave this country in the next three or six months, I go push drugs and buy guns”

Hello! Hello! What’s going on here?

“You say?!” My flabber is gasted.

“I go lie for you? They no dey respect poor man o. At all. All these criminals, na them police dey respect, they go just dey shout ‘twale! Twale!’ for them because these people dey give them money but we wey poor we no get mouth at all. Na money dey give people mouth.”

I didn’t say pim.

At this point, he didn’t need my input. He was no longer focused on the road; he was turning and looking at me instead of the road.

Osalobua!

“If I carry gun enter road, anybody wey I meet go give me money and if you no do am, puff! I go end am!”

“Hmmm, Oga, you go calm down o”

“I go lie for you? I go do am. You no fit survive this country if you no be criminal o.”

He started another story of his close friend who is now a ‘criminal’ and is living well and is the police friend and all I wish was that my house was closer.

Well, this might sound funny but it’s the reality of our youths today. Life going against our plans and when we kneel to pray, we pray for things that should come easily for us. That’s crazy, not gonna lie. At this point, this is not the time to vote because of tribe or because of religion. I met an upcoming criminal, it’s not the first and it won’t be the last. You have met yours too—in the market, street, church, work, road and so on.

Things are getting out of hand. The cost of living in the last 10 years is better than today. You know what to do, just like I do.