Life Of Lagosians; Stay Alert Or Be A Victim...

I have spent 98% of my life in the city of Lagos and still haven't seen it all. After staying in a place for a long time, it's normal to feel used to the place but it is the other way around because when you think you have seen it all, Lagosians still have more to offer you.

I always told my friends that if Lagos was a course in the University, a lot of people would have to repeat the exam a lot of times. It's a beautiful place to be and yet, one of the craziest places as well. Despite being quiet, Lagos has pushed me to speak in places where I never thought I would.

I left Sango for Ikorodu on that particular day at around 5:30 a.m, it's not my favourite time to be on the road but I needed to get to Ikorodu before 8 a.m.

The bus moved and as we approached Abule-egba, the driver asked us to contribute the fare. He doesn't have a conductor which is not strange and passengers started gathering the money line by line. Some passengers paid directly to the driver while some joined their and sent it in bulk. While driving, he was trying to count the money at the same time.

"Oga, concentrate on the road please" I tried to caution him and he responded as if we had issues before. I didn't stop at warning him to focus on the road but other passengers were silent and for a second, I started thinking that it might be one chance (Thieves pretend to be passengers and rob the stranger among them).

I thought sitting behind the driver gave me a good advantage and if anything happened, I would strangle him from behind.

This man continued counting and finally, he said his money wasn't complete.

He started screaming that whoever hadn't paid should pay him but no one replied to him. We were approaching Iyana-ipaja when he parked and started shouting, the driver said he wouldn't leave until he got the remaining balance.

The passengers started telling how they paid and I didn't say anything since I paid. The man sitting next to me asked if I had paid and I said yes only for another passenger to say I had been distracting the driver while counting because I didn't want him to figure out that the money wasn't complete.

"Are you saying that I haven't paid?" I asked the woman and she just snubbed me. Everyone on the bus starting saying all sort of things and after the driver's effort to get the balance failed, he continued the trip. The driver didn't stop talking because he was really angry and at a point, he started dishing out some powerful curses but no one responded.

He finally said whoever didn't pay him would not return home in one piece and the same man who asked if I paid earlier started to curse the driver back.

I looked at him with surprise because I didn't see any reason why he should respond if he wasn't the culprit. Curses turned into music that day between the driver and the man, it got me wondering why he got into the bus initially without having money. I have been stranded many times as a student and begged people on the bus to help me which they did.

"Oga keep quiet, you claimed to have paid earlier so why is the driver's curse bothering you?" A passenger screamed at the man cursing the driver.

"I am just worried for the person who didn't pay, why would the driver be cursing that bad because of 300naira?" The man replied and the passengers burst into laughter immediately.

The woman who said I was trying to distract the driver told him to speak for himself and I was surprised when she apologized for insulting me earlier. It was a long ride to Oshodi, the curses and noise made the trip a crazy one.

Another silly experience happened on that same road not quite long ago. I wore a baggy pant and my phone fell into the spaces between the chairs.

Unlike before, I always had my phone in my hand but that day, I was too stressed and couldn't hold anything. I didn't realise the phone had fallen off until it rang and the guy we shared the front seat took the phone from where it fell into and picked up the call.

"I will alight now, you will see me," he said sharply and told the driver he wanted to alight from the bus.

I had to touch my pocket again to be sure I wasn't dreaming.

"But that's my phone," I said to him and he just looked at the back and said it looked like his phone.

I was dumbfounded as he returned it and alighted from the bus immediately. Even if the phone looks the same, do we use the same ringtone?

Everyone on the bus started laughing, they told me that the guy must have seen the phone earlier and he didn't know it would ring or probably, he didn't think it was mine. People alighted before we got in and it could have been anyone's phone.

I was really happy it rang because I wouldn't have known that the phone had fallen. Since then, I always have a cross bag to make sure my things are properly packed together.

Every day, people come up with cunning ideas and to always be ahead of them, you must stay alert.

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