“The lifestyle in Lagos is pure madness''

By Ebele Orakpo

The journey from Abuja to Jos was uneventful until the taxi got to a place called Forest, a few kilometres to Jos when commuters came face to face with a long queue of vehicles, reminiscent of a typical Lagos traffic-jam.

Everybody was wondering what the problem was as this was unusual. Then the phone of a commuter, Amina by name, rang and she was heard exclaiming intermittently. At this point, there was palpable apprehension on every face. “Fighting is going on in Nassarawa Gwong area of Jos and the soldiers are trying to quell it. That is why they are preventing vehicles from going into the city,” said Amina.

“When will all these attacks and reprisals end? For how long shall we continue to watch while innocent souls are mercilessly discharged to their early grave?” asked Joe.

Said Mercy: “The worst is the attack on innocent children and women. I can’t imagine a normal human being holding a child or anybody for that matter, and slicing off the head. Imagine the terror on the face and the pleadings to spare their lives. Yet, these devil-incarnates feel no compassion. It’s just so sad.”

“I’m beginning to believe that foreigners from Chad and Niger Republic have infiltrated the country. At least religious-based fights have been going on in Nigeria but never in this dimension where women and babies are slaughtered,” noted Talatu.

“To put a stop to this nonsense, government should declare capital punishment on offenders. After all, it is said that those who kill by the sword should also go by the sword,” said Ibrahim.

“That is it. If you slaughter a fellow human being with knife, you should also be slaughtered with knife with no option of life jail or gunshot,” stated Talatu.

Then vehicles began to move again but the driver of the station wagon was not in the vehicle. As a result, the vehicles behind him could not move. They were patiently waiting for him; meanwhile, there was enough space for them to pull out from behind the station wagon and go on their way but none of them did that. This elicited another round of discussion.

“Ah, in Lagos, they would have formed about six lanes. These people just take things easy. They are not in a hurry to do anything. They believe that everything is as God wants it. This kind of attitude is not the best. One needs to be proactive and smart. There is no place for this lifestyle in the modern world,” said Joe. At this comment, Mohammed who had been quiet all along spoke up. “The lifestyle in Lagos is pure madness. People are selfish, always looking out for themselves and no one else. It is I, me and myself. And honestly, I see that as primitive. Dog eat dog kind of life.”

“So you are advocating this lackadaisical attitude in cases of emergency?” asked Joe.

“You are deviating. We are not talking about an emergency situation here. I am not saying that one should not be proactive in some cases but not in all cases. Look at the Lagos traffic problem for instance, when everyone is trying to be smart by forming a line in every available space, blocking movement of vehicles in the opposite direction, who loses in the end? Everyone of course. But if people are patient, they will reach their destinations on time,” replied Mohammed.

“You don’t seem to get it. This is no life at all. You guys should get a life,” said Joe.

“So you think a life of chaos is life? Well, I wish you luck in your chaotic lifestyle. I like the pace here.”
Said Mercy: “I think I understand what Mohammed is saying. He is saying that there is time for everything. There is a time to be ‘mad’ and there is a time to be sane. You don’t have to be laid-back at all times and you don’t have to be ‘smart’ at all times.”

“Exactly! And right now, in Lagos, people have learnt to behave in traffic. Nobody drives against traffic and anyone who does so is taken to the psychiatric hospital for check up, after which he is made to pay a heavy fine,” said Hadiza.