By Rachael Owoeye
Waking up with a beautiful smile on my face, I stared at the ceiling, contemplating how to start the day. I said to myself, “Oh yes! I’ve got my day planned out,” and thought about beginning with a sumptuous meal. There has been a debate in town about who makes the best recipe between the Giant of Africa and the Black Stars. Yes, you guessed it right—the tasty, flavourful Nigerian jollof rice. As I dressed up to get the necessary ingredients for this popular dish, I thought, “What a way to start the day!”
As I stepped out of the house to the main junction where I could catch a bike to the market before the clouds released their heavy stored rain, I suddenly heard a Toyota Camry honking at me. Seated inside was a young, vibrant, bearded man in the driver’s seat. He rolled down the window with a bright smile and quickly sent his greetings. He added: “Hello ma’am. While making a purchase,” he pointed at the supermarket, “I noticed that you’ve been waiting for a bike for quite a while. If you wouldn’t mind, may I know if you’re heading towards the 6 o’clock direction so that I can be of help?”
I was astonished, and a thought popped into my head, “Oh yeah! What a way to start the day!” Without further ado, I quickly responded, “Thank you for the generosity, sir. However, my destination is towards the 9 o’clock direction.”
While the young man tried to persuade me, I spotted a bike moving towards my direction and was relieved that it would save me from continuing the conversation. Nevertheless, I bid the young man goodbye and took a few steps towards the bike. We exchanged pleasantries, and I asked, “How much?” I was baffled when the bike man charged double the usual price. Without hesitation, I quickly asked the bike man why he was asking for such a high amount. He responded in pidgin English, “Ah! Aunty, shey no be this country we dey together?” (Are we not in this country together?) I had to climb on the bike and sit. While the bike man slowly moved along the main road, my thoughts fixated on reminiscing about the good old days when services and commodities were cheap and affordable in my dear country, Nigeria. Upon reaching my destination at the central market, I hopped down, paid the bike man, and thanked him for the service. Astonishingly, I spotted juicy, round tomatoes across the road and thought to myself, “Oh yes! The new unaffordable sapphire gold in town.” I crossed to the opposite side of the road and walked to the vendor with a glamorous smile on my face. While exchanging pleasantries in Yoruba, I greeted, “Ekaro ma” (Good morning, ma), to which she responded, “Ekaro oo” (Good morning). Pointing at the bowl of tomatoes containing ten pieces and a bowl of six peppers, I asked, “How much per bowl?” She replied, “Tomatoes are ₦1,000, while pepper is ₦500.”
As I stood beside the trader observing the bowls, a thought crept into my mind, “Oh! What a sacrifice to satisfy my craving for jollof rice.” While the trader poured the purchased items into a bowl for grinding, she murmured under her breath. From the little I could catch, she was expressing in Yoruba: “Àfi kí Ọlọ́run ṣàánú wá ní Kontiri yí, nkan tí wọn jù, kó de tún sí ọjà.” (May God have mercy on us in this country; commodities are very expensive, and sales are low). While I sat under the canopy waiting for the purchased items to be ground, I observed that the trader’s sentiments were echoed by others at the market. Terrified and disturbed by the current hyper-inflation in Nigeria, I kept asking myself how Nigerians are surviving the situation with a resilient smile on their faces. Nigeria is known to be a land full of fruitful natural resources. However, why are its citizens bearing the negative brunt of the land?
Nigerians! What a way to go!