BABAN YARA

image generated using Gemini AI

Jide was a Yoruba boy from Ondo State, though he carried the unmistakable grace of his mother’s Edo roots. He was a dark-skinned, handsome guy. His presence commanded a room without saying a word. He had broad shoulders with his chest shooting out on his tight t-shirts to the point of tension with other men, and an admiration from the ladies. He had locs which were thick and well-kept, falling forward just enough to show his face, which rarely smiled in public places. To a stranger, his silence felt like a warning; he had this heavy, unbothered presence that made people step aside when he walked by, assuming he was a 'terror' or a 'bad boy' you didn't want to cross.

The first time I met Jide was during a class in my 100-level days. He was sitting beside me during the class, quiet as usual, paying serious attention to the lecturer as if he was understanding all that the lecturer was saying. He would jot down every point and detail of what the lecturer said, and he would murmur to himself on different occasions, like someone who was understanding everything the lecturer was saying.

I turned to Jide and asked him to explain something the lecturer said, and I was amused by his response.

Me: Hey, bro, could you explain to me what the lecturer just said? I don’t seem to understand all that he has been saying,

Bro, this thing self tire me oh, Jide laughed, “I just dey observe oh, nothing dey enter this head”.

This was when I knew that Jide was my kind of person, and we started gisting during the class and forgot why we were in class in the first place.

Jide: I go come this man class every time him fix class, but baba nothing dey enter head !

Me: Omo, I been thinking say na only me oh!

Jide: e get this my guy I dey meet after every class sha him dey put me through

Me: na who be that?

Jide: You fit no sabi the guy, na 300 level him dey, him name na Adisa

Me: Adisa wey dey NESA first eleven?

Jide: Yes, na the guy be that, him sabi book die!

Me: Okay na, you go hook me up Ibeg

Jide: No wahala now.

We exchanged contact with Jide, and from that day, Jide and I became close friends.

Jide knew how people had perceived him, and he was okay with everything. He was a very kind and generous guy. Jide will always put the needs of others above his own needs. Those people who were close to him will testify every time how they had misjudged Jide at first glance of him, only to find out later when they got to know him for themselves, as the opposite of the person they had perceived him to be.

Back then at school, our department was situated at the mini campus in Gwagwalada, and our exams were always held at the main campus. I will remember how Jide would always fuel his car just to take the five of us and himself to the main campus for our exams, and still bring us back to the mini campus without receiving any dime from us in the form of a contribution for fuel or as payment for transportation. He would instead buy lunch for us anytime we were having a second paper in the evening. Jide would also go out of his way to support others.

The other day, while sitting with Jide, a coursemate of ours came to meet him for assistance. I knew all Jide had at the moment was just five hundred naira, as he had shown me the note earlier, because I loved holding mint, and anytime I had one with me, it took the grace of God for me to spend it. Jide dipped his hands into his pocket, brought out the five hundred naira note, and gave it to the course mate of ours without thinking twice about it.

I could remember how Jide loves playing with children, The first time I visited his house, only to see that all the children living in his compound were in his room playing with him, for a moment, I could not believe what I saw, I thought I was playful with kids, but seeing Jide with those kids that evening made we knew that I was no way a match to Jide’s playful nature. In fact, the women in his compound called him Baban Yara, which was a phrase in the Hausa language meaning “Father of children”.

What I learned from Jide was that the true character of a person is not found in their silence or their stature; it is found in what they do when no one is watching.

Thank you for reading through my post. My name is@rishagamo, and above is my response to the week’s prompt 29 “A STRANGER'S VIEW”