When I saw this headline, “Northern leaders accuse Osinbajo of Nepotism” I laughed so much my eyes teared up.
It reminded me of something that happened on a BRT bus some time ago.
It was in one of these new BRTs Ambode just released on the roads. The process is very smooth. You get your ticket and you get in- you can even pay with your ATM card. No ticket, no going in. That is the rule.
On this particular day, we got our tickets and our smooth journey began. At a stop, after some passengers alighted, some entered, and one man jumped into the bus without a ticket. When the inspectors asked him to get down, he began to complain. His brother was the driver of the BRT. How can he pay to enter the BRT his brother is driving?
They told him, “oga, no be your brother get the bus, your brother is being paid.”
He refused, he must enter the bus without paying, after all his brother… “Oya collect money from your brother and buy ticket,” the inspectors told him.
No ticket, no entry. Nope, he insisted that as long as his brother was driving the bus, he had every right to enter for free.
Passengers joined in, and unsurprisingly they were on the side of the ‘I won’t buy ticket’ man.
“Why will his brother be driving the bus and you want him to pay?” One said,
“That is wickedness,” another added. “So you mean if he’s your brother you won’t let him ride for free?”
They continued arguing. An elderly man chipped in, “what do you mean he should not pay? This bus is being maintained by money, not my brother-my brother.”
They ignored the old man and continued quarrelling with the ticket inspectors to let the man stay. Ticket guys insisted and threw the man off the bus – none of his supporters could even buy a ticket for him.
The ‘brother’ kept quiet all through.
At the next stop, the elderly man who said the man should pay his fare got down and the others began to insult him.
You see that old man, one woman said, I know his type. They will be in position and not help their brother, wicked people. How can you say somebody should pay when his brother is driving the bus? Chai! They all nodded in agreement.
I remember once in the university, one of our lecturers had to sweep a lecture hall himself because the cleaners wouldn’t do it, and he didn’t want to teach in a dirty hall. Wonder why he couldn’t get those cleaners fired? Their brother was in power at the top.
In Nigeria, we don’t hate corruption and nepotism. We only hate it when it’s not in our favour. This same northern leaders accusing Osinbajo of nepotism and appointing only his brothers were here when the DSS employment thing happened.
I have heard of people who went for job interviews and they were told only members of a certain church or group will be employed first. This is why we have poorly qualified people in positions they shouldn’t be in.
My people first, my brother second, my sister next. No wonder we have a former general over 75 years as President while young Nigerians are winning parliament seats in the UK.
Lord save us from my brother, my paddy government o.
