I moved to Lagos about 7 months ago mainly because of my job. This is actually my first time in Lagos. A lot of my colleagues actually seem surprised whenever I tell them that.
One of them even made a bold statement that "If you've not been to Lagos, you have not traveled anywhere in Nigeria". What they don't know is that I've been to 7 other states before coming to Lagos, Kwara, Nassarawa, Oyo, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, and Osun. I arranged them in order of the visit then comes Lagos.
Lagosians are synonymous with Americans, they see their state as the best and don't bother exploring other parts of the country. Few of them that traveled beyond the Lagos borders, had that opportunity solely because of school.
Perhaps soon, I would write about my perceptions of Lagosians, but today I want to tell you about my scary experience in this dangerous city.
It was on a weekend but I was at work. My brother called me….
"Hello Muhammed! Are you still at the office?! Do you have your laptop with you? Don't bother coming home today o... A clash occurred between street gangs. The street is not safe at the moment".
I was speechless. My mind was blank. I told my manager about the situation. He asked where else I could sleep. Exactly the point, I had nowhere else to sleep. So I told him I would go home regardless.
My friend Zee, dropped me off at Egbeda. I got to Egbeda and found out that the bus to Igando was unusually scarce. Bus drivers were avoiding the route.
At that point, the fear starts setting in, reality check 1.0. Took almost 30 minutes before I finally got a bus. The bus driver charged us higher than the usual amount. None of us was surprised, we already knew the cause.
We arrived at Igando at dusk. Everywhere was strangely quiet. The road was empty. Shops closed. Only a few people were in the dark gazing at the few people walking on the road.
A low-budget thug came out of the dark. The boy should be my age. "Alaye! Alaye!!" He kept shouting while pacing behind me.
I had my ear bud plugged in. Even though I heard him, I acted like I didn't. Like a nemesis, he finally caught up to me. He stopped me. He made an attempt to snatch my bag, but I flung his hand away. He made a second attempt to grab my phone but I did the same as the first time. The Kung Fu movies I watched while I was a kid finally paid off.
When he realized that all his attempts were not working. And he saw that there was no fear in my eyes. I was not shaking nor begging him.
Maybe this was because I also came from a street full of thugs, and gangs in Ilorin. Or perhaps because I've lived in one of the most dangerous cities to live in Nigeria, Katsina.
He lowered his tone and said:
"Alaye there was a fight here this evening and everywhere is dangerous right now. I could stab you right now and nothing would happen. But just give me something and let me be going"
By something, he meant money. I dipped my right hand in my pocket and took out 50 Naira. He protested "Shey you dey whine me ni ?! Do I look like a beggar to you ?!!".
Then I checked my pocket again and took out 200 Naira. He kept protesting that it was too small. But I told him that was all I had on me.
He walked out on me angrily and kept murmuring as he was walking away.
It's paramount you maintain calmness in every situation you find yourself in, especially scary ones like mine. Succumbing to fear is you empowering your oppressor or the oppressing situation. And you don't want to do that.
No matter how hard the situation you find yourself in seems, remember to always stay calm. Do not panic. Maintain control over the situation.
I can understand that it takes a whole lot of courage. But trust me, you don't know how courageous you are until you try.
I am no one, but I am just trying to make sense.
This is a beautiful read, Welldone Ohmai🤗
Honestly I didn’t want the story to end😂😂😂 This is good.