OBSERVATIONS FROM A WEDNESDAY MORNING

This particular morning, I was up by few minutes to 5:00am, went through the normal routines and by 6:33am (that was after I had prepared and packed the family's lunch ), I was out of the house.. By 6:55am, I was on the 2nd bus to my destination (work). Refusing to use my earpiece (you know, the usual plug in for music), I decided to "observe" and I sincerely make this claim- that everything you'll read below, happened between 6:59am and 7:54am on the 1st of July, 2015.

I looked out of the window and I saw a woman pull out a paper carton spread it open on the floor and layered it with a black polythene bag. Standing beside her was a little girl wearing an "ijab".
The woman bid her daughter to stand on the spread out materials. Then, she removed the (I Suppose) daughter's ijab, revealing a girl who possibly experienced growth issues which led to her having very short and feeble fore limbs (hands).

Then, in pity  and anger of what I had seen, I realized that I lost comfort when another potential passenger joined us (on a 4-seater bench that should normally carry 4 people) to make us 5.
That was when I realized that I boarded a sardine tin ( "molue" as it's popularly called) and not a bus. With mild pains in my arms, I tried to adjust, only to see people ( body, soul and spirit, madly and without care) jumping onto the moving vehicle. Crazy enough, kudos to the "sardine tin" drivers who have made super heroes (like spider man, batman, Jet Li) out of their passengers who are expected to fly out of the moving vehicle in a bid to alight.

Now, this is one part I hated most. That part where I had to spend long periods in the slowest motion march-past (traffic congestion popularly called go-slow) on the roads. All thanks to those big long trailers whose drivers never unlearn that roads were not majorly for parking, but for moving.

I felt like crying when I saw aged people fit (by age) to be my grandparents, sweeping the streets of Lagos (Eko o ni baje o) to just to make ends meet and have daily bread.

I'm happy to bring to your notice that Lagos State has produced one of the finest set of mountain climbers ( practicing on those hilltops that connect Mile 2 to Apapa bridge) and the impatient Maza maza - mile 2 marathon trekkers.

In my laughter, I saw my smile fade as I wondered why a handsome young man would be smoking at 7:26am. I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw another young man reading job opportunity posters (promising airport jobs and other vacancies that pay #6,000 daily). At least, it was better than smoking at that time.

Then I came back to myself, this time laughing at myself for feeling sleepy so early that morning. It wasn't a surprise to see a man sleeping in another bus when I looked out of the window.

Let's get a little serious now...
For the woman and the deformed child, that was work; a seemingly only avenue to provide at least 2 meals per day. The irony was that both parties ignored the deformed child's health . What if she caught a cold that morning or acquired pneumonia (possibly if they've been begging that way for a very long time)?

What's with transport workers making more profit at the expense of their passengers' comfort? What happened to customer service and satisfaction? Isn't this exploitation zombi-ism?

And to our amazing Federal, State and Local Governments, what happened to our dreams of having clear roads? Only zombies lose authority even when they have power. Yet, we are made to believe that you're working.

Haaba!!! What if those my aged people were hit by a car or even had a high blood pressure condition from the many times an oncoming vehicle almost knocked them down? What happened to homes for the old?

Yea, and to our gifted mountain climbers and marathon trekkers. I know most of you were trying to get to your work places early, but how about channeling that talent to sports. Much benefits await you!!!

My young smoker, I pray I don't see  your obituary in the next ten years. How could you be a zombie to your own  PERSONAL health?

Yes, and to my desperate job seeker, were you told that zombies don't have functional brains? If you weren't, know now that most (not all) of those posters, are ritual killers alluring traps to get you to provide them #6,000 daily or possibly fly with broomsticks at night for them (Make sure you ask for tutorials/lectures on how to avoid crashing into electric poles if you eventually fall for their trick by virtue of ignoring this advise).

And back to my crazy self (and my sleeping colleague), waking up before 5:00am and rushing out out of my house before 7:00am to a job for which I'm not paid (Industrial Training) and which strips me of the opportunity to pursue my personal dreams and goals.In all sincerity, if I continue this way, I will not achieve much before the year runs out.


Females, males, young and old, who are either partially or fully in the labor market, strive to pursue and accomplish your personal dreams and goals. It makes no sense that would suffer, working to develop someone Else's establishment and be total zombies to our own purpose. I have not said it's wrong to help develop someones Else's dreams, but howbeit that we would cultivate other people's fields or farmlands while ours are filled with thorns and thistles.

I don't derive joy in highlighting all these problems but if we're not observant, how then shall we know the problems that surround us, talk less of figuring out the most possible and effective solutions. Now, I speak not to your head, not to your ears and neither to eyes, but I speak and plead to your hearts, that they become more observant and compassionate with a burning desire to contribute your own little quotas needed to clean up the mess we all met when we got into this seemingly disorderly environment (by virtue of birth). You don't need a union or an action group to effect a change. From your very little corner, let your light so shine. Those little things you do are capable of creating the very revolution we seek towards bettering our lives and environments.

I'm taking my little steps today by developing myself spiritually, intellectually and in every other ramification, developing my dreams, encouraging, motivating and assisting every and any one who seeks my counsel, giving to the needy, keeping my biscuit/chocolate wrappers with me (in my bag/purse) until I see a proper waste bin all in a bid to help and build a better Nigeria.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY???