(OPINION) What Excuse Do Yahoo Boys Have That I Did Not? – By Moshood Yusuff Alade

My aspirations to be financially independent due to my education led me to many experiences that I may not have had. The first significant one was that it led to my first ever trip to Benin Republic where I led some goods for sale. Of course, it equally led to my first ever trip to Lagos in the late August, 2012. Although, I had engaged in some daily jobs and monthly earned job since my graduation from secondary school in 2008 up till the middle of 2011.

In the spring of 2010, I had joined “Adebisi Block Industry” where I started working as a pallet carrier and earned N50 on each bag of cement I carried. Everyday, we used 10 bags of cement. In the beginning, it was an uneasy chore, but as a strong guy who refuse to beg and doesn’t care about what my colleagues would say, I kept doing the work until I was promoted from pallet carrier to cement “mixer” for a period of months, after which I became the substantial machine operator of the same factory within five months. Going forward, I was able to save some amount which I used to obtain Jamb form, for tertiary education admission process (including acceptance fees and other related costs). I had much interest in University of Ilorin that I chose it as first choice in the said exam.

 

My aspirations to be financially independent due to my education led me to many experiences that I may not have had. The first significant one was that it led to my first ever trip to Benin Republic where I led some goods for sale. Of course, it equally led to my first ever trip to Lagos in the late August, 2012. Although, I had engaged in some daily jobs and monthly earned job since my graduation from secondary school in 2008 up till the middle of 2011. Thus, the little money that I was able to save was used to purchase Jamb form and the follow-up of my admission process, as well as sustainability.

Joining the group of different tribes, languages, and religions at Ikota Housing Estate in Lagos became a major challenge to a poor boy, who, at that time, had never been in such a populous city before. The job I couldn’t have dreamt throughout my life journey became the only option for me then. I summoned the courage and wasn’t deterred. I joined Okada Riders’ Association in Ikota Housing Estate where we carried a drop for N50, the highest distance within the estate then was charged N70. I couldn’t forget my first terrible experience at Ikota, I was on my way back to park (Gbolagas Junction) to carry passenger and a guy recklessly hit me with his bike, yet he cursed, abused and called me dispiriting names. As a Lagos newbie, I replied him and the next sound I heard was that of a hot slap. It was an unlucky moment for me at Ikota Housing Estate main market, I attempted to return the slap but the market women pleaded and cautioned me to leave him to God’s judgement. Perhaps, they knew what the guy is capable of doing.

In any oversight, my first impression of Lagos remains quite wild. Based on the stories I had heard and my earlier experience at Ikota Housing Estate main market, I had expected Lagos to be hugely populated by many unfriendly and lousy people, owing to the opinions I had unconsciously put forward. But to my utter dismay, my encounter with friendly people and their benevolent acts made me to modify my earlier formed opinion: Ikota Housing Estate Central Mosque was a vibe with people of relatable characters. This is the second place I stayed during my 6 years stay in Lagos.

I left Lagos exactly after I spent a month in 2012 and I realized a total amount N60,000 – an amount I used to pay my school fees, to buy books, clothes and the remaining money was used as “pocket money”, since my Mummy had bought food stuff. That year, I couldn’t pay for my accommodation and I had to stay with a younger brother of mine, who eventually turned an intimate friend.

After a month, I moved down to Unilorin central mosque through the influence of a friend and colleague, Sulayman Nafiu, now a Special Assistant to Commissioner for Water Resources, State of Osun and the Director, El-Mavericky Center for Education, Research and Development, Iwo, State of Osun, Nigeria. Sulayman Nafiu was a good friend of mine. With his assistance, I lived a comfortable life and I was able to bear along with a life I had never lived before, though, under a tree called (Abe Igi Anu). “Abegites” was a tag for those of us living under the tree.

Sadly, in my second trip to Lagos after my first experience. Ikota Housing Estate that was known as the economic heart of the whole community and also known for peaceful co-existence between tribes and faiths, become a cauldron of cultism, hooliganism and all sorts of social vices and turned a den for hardened criminals. That remained the first and last place where I had seen firearms or live weapons aside the one I have seen with security agencies. Weed and all sort of hard-drugs were very rampant, of course, it was the only thing you could do in Ikota to feel among the Big boys.

After I had rode a bike for daily rent(delivery), I bought a bike of my own. I was happy as I became the owner of a bike, not knowing that the bike won’t last 20 days with me. On a fateful Sunday morning, at Gbolagas Junction, was a police raid, I had already tied the goods I was about to give a ride, then I heard a noises from behind and before I could look back, I already found myself on the ground. Unfortunately, my bike was seized by RRS. Then, when your bike get seized, you can hardly bail it. The most painful thing was that, my school (Unilorin) had already resumed a month before my bike was seized. I had to spend more weeks of riding daily rent before I could gather little money to buy few of my needs and I left for school.

I had recorded accidents of various degrees, yet, I couldn’t deem it fit to join fraudsters, despite the fact that I was living in their midst then. If I had wanted to live extravagantly and large beyond my earning, I could have joined them and hide under the cloak of bad government and unfriendly economy. The worst humiliation and oppression that could have forced me to join bad gangs happened to me in Ikota. I could remember a day when I was about to give free ride to one of the Indigenes, he was drunk and fell down from the bike when I moved the bike. Despite his unhealthy and unconscious condition, he stood up and gave me a heavy blow on my neck that I didn’t know when I was made a pee that my boxer was soaked in urine. This day, was the third time I cried in private at Ikota Housing Estate due to the ill luck I had no power over.

AsAs a result of this difficulty, I was driven to achieve financial independence as quickly as I could. Because, as a poor boy that was not born with silver spoon, one learns quickly that financial independence is essential to preserving one’s dignity, to command respect and to have sound education in a country where free education is a mirage, yet, I refuse to leverage on it as an opportunity to join internet fraudsters.

All praises, adorations and salutations are due to Allah, the Creator of all that exist. Today, I am a graduate of University of Ilorin and I hold Masters Degree Certificate in Peace and Conflict Management, Department of Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The money spent to acquire these certificates having satisfied all the requirements, was from Okada and other petty jobs that Yahoo boys could not have engaged in. External support can’t be denied for the Masters Degree Program though.

Of course, in a route to achieving my goal, a path that initially led me into petty jobs as a young guy who is so much driven by financial independence, I saw Okada as the only option. This is not because I wasn’t aware of Yahoo Yahoo then, of course, I was, but I put Yahoo Yahoo, Arm-robbery, Kidnaping, banditry, Money Ritual and Theft all in the same category. This stance I maintain, because these acts agonize their victims.

If I could pass through all these and refuse to take it as an opportunity to steal other people’s wealth or make anyone pass through agony because I wanted to live, I see no reason young guys, many of whom have not passed through half of my ordeals and only lazy to take little challenges as opportunity to defraud people of their hard-earned money and use fellow humans to seek illegal wealth.

God bless you and me.

 

Moshood Yusuff Alade

moshoodyusuffalade@gmail.com