“It looks like this filling station will soon start selling fuel.”
“For where?! Dem no get fuel. Fuel only dey for that filling station for express.”
“NorthWest?”
“Yes, I hear say the woman get mouth.”
And I’m wondering “everyone has a mouth on their face” (technically, except in rare medical conditions). But you see, this is Nigeria and when someone is referred to as one with ‘Mouth’ or ‘Leg’, this means that you have CONNECTION and by ‘connection’ I mean, you can get away with anything or you have influence (in a manner of speaking). Now, I will have to agree to an extent with the fellow and his reasoning, as I’m wondering why a gas station would take 92% of the road and prevent other road users from moving freely to their destination, even when we know that moving freely in Ajah axis of Lekki means driving really slow – a step at a time! But to be so hindered that many people couldn’t reach the other part of Lagos yesterday (is something else), and nobody said anything about it, the woman obviously has connection.
Now, ‘we’ have blamed the woman aka owner of the fuel station. But I’m not done, how about you – the motorist?
She had cordoned off a section of the road to cater for her ever-increasing line of gasoline buyers. One line for the long stretch of cars, but motorist/ area-boys/ fuel touts/ enforcement agents in their all-knowing wisdom moved the rope and cone a bit for one car and another and yet another and soon we had four lines of parked cars attempting to enter the station through multiple access with no regard for other road users. Some others came from the opposite side of the road (drove against traffic apparently) and parked on that end in their own multiple queue to buy fuel. Many people didn’t go to church yesterday o! You do well.
I saw a funny write-up thanking the no-light/no-fuel situation for how it has encouraged family times and bonding, as the men can’t go hang out with the boys, children get to read more and one said that even God was happy as churches were full yesterday because a lot of people went there to charge their phones (that have been dead for days) and if I must add enjoy the cooling atmosphere from the air-conditioning units. LOL.
That analysis would work for those that were able to make it to church. For those that didn’t, you don’t want to know what they said in their hearts to everyone connected to this avoidable situation that prevented them from doing so. I went to church o and yes I had to charge the phones very well. But after that, what next? What is the solution to the fuel crisis that we are experiencing? I’m not even sure what is wrong or who to blame, I can only ask that what needs to be done should be done fast before…. I leave the conclusion to you.
By the way, transportation skyrocketed today by 100% increase and I’m wondering if any company did salary increase over the weekend in anticipation of this transport hike. Another thing is that despite all the filling stations maintaining that they are not selling in jerry cans, right beside each station is a trail of boys, men and women with different litres of fuel (from the ones they can carry to the over-sized container) selling black-market at ridiculous prices. Who sold this fuel to them? Just thinking out aloud.
Picture Source: http://www.nextgreencar.com/mpg/
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