By Victor Ogunyinka
It is said that if one is graceful to live long enough (I’m not so old though, but I’ve added a year today), one would encounter different things.
It is certain that not everyone that loves their lives and I’ve a testament of one who doesn’t.
I found myself in a bus yesterday (Friday) in Lagos, Nigeria and I was fortunate (was I?) to have sat next to this driver, Solo (not real name).
Solo had his good parts; he took his time on the road loaded his passengers where necessary and didn’t really break traffic rules. But partial obedience count for nothing.
Solo refused to use his seat belt while driving and it wasn’t unconsciously. He was corrected by the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) officials but he wouldn’t just listen.
He was so confident he was never going to be pulled over and I wondered why not.
I engaged Solo in a short conversation and itself, the little he said was too much to bear.
Me: Why you no gree listen to those guys na, you sabi say e dangerous to drive without seat belt? (Why didn’t you listen to the officials, you know it is not safe to drive without fastening your belt?)
Solo: Leave that thing my guy, nothing dey happen, no be dis road. no be east i dey go na. (Come of it, nothing is going to happen; I’m not travelling to faraway east).
Me: Okay, you sabi say these guys fit just catch you one day and na heavy fine you go pay? (You know these guys could just pull you over and have you pay a huge fine?)
Solo: Nna stop dat thing. dem no reach. Even if the this government dey hot sef, dem no how far. (It’s not possible man. No matter how brutish this government is, they know their limits).
Phew! I didn’t know what else to say and gave him a grin. Truth to his words, he drove past a couple of more officials and it was a tale of ‘viva forever’.
Maybe this government doesn’t know yet, they have new enemies and it has nothing to do with politics, it is a group of people poised to see that efforts to deliver a better country frustrated and until they start beaming their searchlight in the right direction, Solo, et al would continue to have a field day now and always.
