How can I start my true-life story today? Don't worry about this headline but just flow with my story and learn from my past mistakes t...
How can I start my true-life story today? Don't worry about this headline but just flow with my story and learn from my past mistakes to satisfy fellow human beings.
Many people won't go an extra mile to solve a simple task for you but they expect you to carry a whole mountain on your head to make them happy. That's the irony of this life.
Let me go straight to my story today without wasting your time. Anytime I wish to travel to Nigeria from London, I always inform close Nigerian friends, just to assist them to drop few loads(mobile phones, clothes, shoes, wrist-watches, toys, books etc) and money in Nigeria for their relations.
Some of them cannot travel to Nigeria due to immigration challenges and other issues not known to me. As I touch down at Lagos airport, their relations must be waiting for me to collect London gifts and pounds. I carried out this assistance without asking for ONE NAIRA in compensation.
Without blowing my trumpet, I paid extra luggage fees two times at London Heathrow airport, just to assist some friends with heavy loads to send to Nigeria.I won't do it again for some reasons.Never again!
My late sweet mother would always wait for my arrival at the Lagos airport and also monitor delivery of London gifts and money to relations of my London friends.
On one particular day, a close friend gave me £2,000 cash and 2 fairly used mobile phones to deliver to his Ikorodu-based sister. He trusted me so much with his money!
I assured him on prompt delivery as long as the sister can wait at the airport for me as early as 5.30am on my arrival day. After explaining details to my mother, I gave this London friend the mobile phone number of Mama Gani to call on that day.
My late sweet mother kept a vigil at the airport as she travelled from Abeokuta to Lagos, just to welcome me back from England.
To cut the long story short, Mama Gani of the blessed memory slept at the airport on a bare floor just to witness my arrival at 5.30am...with her Ankara wrapper...she told me with her mouth!
I arrived safely and cleared my bags.I came out and saw my mother in a corner. She hugged me and prayed for me.
"Gani, somebody called me on phone.....she told me you're to deliver money and phones to them. I hope they are not 419 fraudsters?"
"The lady who called you is not a 419 fraudster, she is the elder sister of my London friend.Please call her back to meet us now to collect her money and 2 phones before we move to Sango-Otta, then Abeokuta."
My mother called the lady and she said she was still around Ikeja Under Bridge...she begged us to wait for her because she was travelling from Ikorodu town.....she later appeared within 30 minutes from a corner to greet me.
"Mummy, we need to wait for this Ikorodu lady...I cannot be moving about with another's person money and phones."
I told my mother and she accepted my views.
"Welcome back, Sir, I hope London cold not too much, Sir? My brother already described you as a trusted person."
I gave the money(£2000) and 2 mobile phones to my late mother and she suggested going to a corner to count the money along with the Ikorodu lady. I left them alone to settle the matter...woman to woman drama!
Mama Gani cracked jokes with me after the lady confirmed the money was £2000 plus 2 fairly used mobile phones.
"Gani, Ori Iya Charlie(Queen of England) just dey everywhere in the money...."
The money (£2000) I delivered was both in £20 and £10 notes....freshly minted British pounds!
Right now, most UK-based Nigerians travelling to Nigeria won't tell people around them....because they are not ready to assist anybody to drop a single mobile phone in Nigeria....always claiming no space in their luggage.
I once assisted a younger brother's friend to carry a full luggage to Nigeria from London .I was 'stupid' then and failed to check the bag on trust at the airport because he quickly came to airport to give me the bag.To properly check the contents of the bag would lead to missing my flight to Lagos .(Never again to accept this nonsense!)
"Baba Oyinda, I cannot load illegal items into the bag, just clothes and shoes to sell in Lagos, please no vex.", This London-based guy(Mr Kay) told me.
Unfortunately, we had an accident which nearly killed me, mother and 3 brothers around Sango-Otta, all my bags were badly damaged and crushed by the truck that crushed our car. I escaped with a few bruises and strained neck! I lost 2 brand new laptops(Which I planned to sell after collecting deposits from 2 buyers!), digital camera and other valuables in the accident.
To my surprise, Mr Kay's bag was not damaged, all the contents still intact. I opened the bag in front of my late mother and saw different items. Mr Kay lied to me because I was a nice man. That was another bitter lesson never to over-trust anybody as per airport luggage! NEVER AGAIN!
Mr Kay's bag was fully loaded with about 8 fairly used laptops, some shoes and clothes. He did not mention laptops when he quickly rushed me to accept the luggage.
I did not wish to be a wicked soul to Mr Kay, I would have told him truck crushed his luggage along with my items during the road accident since he did not tell me laptop computers were inside the luggage. I was extremely honest with him.
This same Mr Kay travelled to Nigeria from London last year but failed to carry a single mobile phone for me, just for my father to replace his old 'Dakudaji' phone.
Mr Kay lied to me that he was not planning to travel when I knew he was travelling the next day. That's human being for you!
How can I ever trust Mr Kay again? Don't preach 'forgive and forget' crap to me in the new year.
When he came back to London, I saw him on Facebook and I challenged him why he did not tell me of his trip to Nigeria.
He started telling me rubbish words to defend his silly attitude.
"Dare, you dey vex too much...I just enter Naija by emergency..I never plan am at all bla bla bla bla."
The bottom line is very simple, I don't need to 'PARIWO' to UK-based friends that I am travelling to Nigeria, that's the best way to avoid carrying loads(both legal and illegal!) for anybody. That's wisdom. I need to loan myself a digital brain in the year 2019. (ORE NIWON, ENIYAN SORO).
TO BE CONTINUED...
COMMENTS