So, something quite crazy happened yesterday and till now, I’m yet to fully wrap my mind around it. So, I went to get some foodstuffs yesterday morning, before I could start preparing to go to school. It was a clear morning and it didn’t look like it would rain, so I was able to relax and do my thing. I had my phone with me as I was communicating with the shop owner.
All of a sudden, I saw a police Hilux pull up in front of the shop. The first thing I felt was a slight shift in my chest as I watched them park the vehicle. If you’re a young guy in Nigeria, you’ll know that the slogan “the police is your friend” is not for everyone. Be you a criminal or a regular citizen.
I thought that this was going to be another checkpoint because this is something many of us are used to. They’ll simply park at the side of the road and begin to search the young boys. They’ll look for anything and everything on your person. Even if you have nothing to be afraid of, it doesn’t make the experience less traumatic. Because they’ll go through your phones, search your pockets, almost turn you inside out as if they’re searching for something they forgot where they put it.
As a result of all this, people do their best to avoid anything that will bring them within close proximity to the police. If they hear that the police are in one direction, they’ll go in the other direction. Is this good? No, but it’s the reality that many have come to face. Just another day in the life of the Nigerian Youth.
Anyway, back to my story, I was in the shop contemplating what to do. I considered taking my wares and leaving, but I wasn’t ready to be stopped and searched right there on the street. I also considered staying there in the shop until they left, but that didn’t make sense because I had no idea how long they were going to stay there. They don’t typically stay too long at these points, they just come, do their thing, and disappear.
Not long after, the doors flew open and the officers stepped out with their weapons. However, something was off. They didn’t stay in a cluster as usual, they spread out across the street. One was stationed at the entrance, the rest were at different points of the street. They were all armed and their rifles were looking mean. Although their faces weren’t all that mean, I must add.
I remained at the shop for over ten minutes longer than I should have, and for that amount of time, I saw that they did not try to stop anyone. Not even a single soul. I was not the only one who noticed because people began to walk past and the police just ignored them. Even young boys wearing flashy clothes were not stopped. That was when I realized that something else was going on. I stepped out of the shop and looked down the street and to my shock, I saw power officials on a pole, disconnecting people’s wires.
Confused, I went to a neighboring shop where some people were gathered and asked them what was happening and it was quite crazy. That street was quite notorious for not paying their bills, when power officials tried to come to disconnect them, they chased them off or simply intimidated them into changing their minds. After all, only a fool will climb up a pole when there are so many angry people on the ground waiting for them.
However, the street was in a prime location though because it couldn’t be disconnected from the transformer because that would automatically disconnect other streets like ours that actually pay our bills. So, they stopped the officials from disconnecting, and they used the goodwill of other streets to keep enjoying power. For free.
I guess the officials endured it for as long as they could, when they could not take the disrespect anymore, they came with cops! So, the cops were there to protect them and not to hassle young boys as I and so many other people thought. It worked because while the officials were disconnecting, not one soul in the street dared to step out of their house to challenge them. They also left a warning that they would be coming back periodically and anyone who illegally reconnects their wire will be arrested on the spot.
At this juncture, the only way people in that street would be having light again would be to pay off all they owe and also pay a hefty fine. Just too bad. Sometimes, I really don’t get why people go this far. I know that the power system is nothing to write home about and they can be very disappointing. However, choosing not to pay for the electricity you’re using is wicked, and then actively stopping the officials from doing the needful is just insane. I can just imagine how frustrated the officials had to have been for them to resort to going with the police. It’s crazy indeed.
So, I eventually left the shop and nothing happened to me. They didn’t even pay me any mind because they had their sights on something else. I know that I judged them wrong, but all that was based on past experience. And I also know that this won’t change anything, because if tomorrow I see another police car, I’ll still be on guard. It’s now like muscle memory for many of us. Not because we did anything wrong, but simply because we’re bracing for the trauma that’s to come.
As I said, another day in the life of a Nigerian youth. I sincerely hope things get better.
