"Have you paid your fees?" the bus conductor asked.
"Have you?" he screamed. "San owo e joo!" in his thick agbero voice.
I replied to him immediately, "I have paid my money to the driver."
He insisted that I hadn't. Passersby saw the commotion and decided to intervene. "Ko san owo ni?"
Other passengers began to complain that the noise was too much. "Eni su ru," they muttered.
The agbero shouted at the driver, "Did anyone give you money?"
He said, "No..."
Other passengers muttered, "It is a lie."
Immediately, another person came to our rescue to diffuse the situation before it escalated into something uncontrollable. Some men began to mutter, "Chairman, chairman, two bullets..." with their hands raised up. I, sensing he must be their leader or probably chairman, decided to talk to him calmly.
He asked, "Ki lo se le?" which meant, "What is the reason or the bone of contention between us?"
I explained that I had paid the driver a sum of 2000 Naira for my transport for the journey from Yaba to Obalende. He looked at the faces of the other passengers, which expressed affirmation in relation to what I had said. He glanced at the driver, who was murmuring that I didn't give him the money.
The chairman told the driver to forget about the money, sensing that the driver was lying or something.
After a few minutes of delay, the journey was a smooth ride, and I enjoyed the beautiful structures in Lagos, especially how they blended with the Lagos Lagoon. I loved the beautiful boats and the local fishermen's canoes on the river. It reminded me of how modern civilization produces beautiful boats with metal rather than the wooden canoes.
Soon, I entered the excursion cab after alighting from Obalende. Our crew came with different devices such as cameras, lunch bags, and many more. A guy, Felix, caught my attention with his beautiful futuristic glasses. I could notice some kind of controls and earpods. Immediately, the sound of a gigantic drone came hovering above us.
Phew, I breathed out a little as if a massive pain had been taken off my chest. Though I thought the sound was a landing plane or something mysterious. Kola, also one of the media team, saw my expression and told me not to raise a panic alarm.
Soon, Kola told us all to gather outside the bus for a company group photograph before we embarked on our company's 7th-year excursion to anywhere around Nigeria. Though the MD told us that soon it would be an international visit, however she said half bread is better than none. We should build this gradually.
Inside what Nigerians called a luxurious bus, we began to sing worship songs. Additionally, Muslims prayed for us and we all echoed "Amin."
At night, we stopped at a park, though not a hotel, where we made a temporary camp. In the camp we talked and played.
The financial secretary, Mrs. Ige Taiwo, shouted "Bon bon bon fire!" Immediately, we all gathered around the fire. Fresh fishes, steaks, and many more were available. Baba Kunle, the gateman, shouted "Roasted corn, my favourite, just from the farm..." He began reminding us of youthful days at the village where he and his family ate bushmeat and roasted corn from the farm. He muttered, "The taste is different, guys! The taste is different." We all tasted it and enjoyed it.
Surprisingly, Mr. Afenifere said, "Yes yes, this is different. One can hardly see this kind of fresh food in Lagos." Another person, Mrs. Bisola, added, "This corn contains good vitamins that might have been depleted in others." I added, "My scientist, na you sabi." We all burst out in laughter before going to bed. At night, a woman screamed... I wondered what must have happened to her. We all gathered around her. "Mrs. Kunle Ajayi, what is the matter?"
"Something bit me," she muttered.
Lo and behold, it was a praying mantis.
"Ha ha ha..." The MD smiled. "So you are not even strong and you usually talk to us with actions that we felt could move mountains? So this is the real you?"
I added, "Ma ma, why do you want to expose a 90-year-old woman's secret?" We smiled as we suggested that she change her location to the bus.
Morning! Our journey again. Baba Kunle told us not to forget anything before the journey continued. After a two-hour drive, we got to our destination.
As strangers, Jos welcomed us with its cool weather and serene environment. In fact, I saw Jos in its acrobatic beauty.
I saw rocks carrying one another. I saw another looking like a pregnant woman with kids.
It was beautiful. Locals didn't take these land wonders seriously but we did.
We visited amusement parks where we danced and played. We recorded every event using drones, cameras and phone cameras.
It was one of the best, most memorable outings of the year.
Thanks for reading.
Bye!
All images are generated using gemini AI
