… an amalgamation of fiction and
fact, popularly called faction. Get entertained and be informed.
Episode One: ‘Lagos will be no more in fifteen
years’
My reaction had appeared calm even
though my heartbeat raced faster than a faulty plane nose diving for
destruction as I listened to the petite dark skinned attractive lady sitting
four tables away from me at a workshop organized for volunteers on climate
change in Lagos raise an alarming concern. It reminded me of months back when
the doctor had diagnosed me with cancer of the breast and recommended I undergo
surgery. Inside I was frozen yet I appeared unfazed outside. This time, unlike
my moment with the doctor, I regarded the bearer of the news of an impending doomsday
closely.
I noticed her piercing eyes that
darted about like she was screening our body parts for cocaine or bombs, but
her assuaging smile eased me up a little bit. I learn later she was the popular
blogger I had been following on tweeter when another curious volunteer had
asked who she was and she introduced herself as Abang Mercy. Lord, have mercy
because I had envisioned she would be muscular, nasty and brutish when I meet
her in person judging from her tweets online, fearless and forthrightly blunt,
like the statement she made above, a behavior my mum insisted I was born with
which she feels is an abnormal trait for any lady. Well the trait has brought
me in contact with this lady; whose achievements like mine I reasoned came out
of the abnormality in our genes.
Don’t wonder too much who I am. My
name is Ejiro and I do not come to you by chance, yes, because it is my
understanding that you have read about me on popular blogs like www.pinkpearlfoundation.com
and www.omojuwa.com
where my writer friend that goes by the name Richard had written, without my
consent, about my fight for abused women via my NGO ‘Fear Drop’ and, to my
chagrin, about my fight with cancer and a runaway father.
It was a client of mine, an avid
reader, who reads like her life depends on it that had come upon the said story
about me, and although Richard had modified one or two things about me in it my
client-friend had been able to put the puzzle together and presented me with
her findings. If you call her busy-body you won’t be far from the truth, that
was the reason she got abused, abused again, and abused by her elder brother
who loved her dearly, and in a manner he isn’t supposed to. Whoop! I have
spilled more than I am supposed to. I hope she doesn’t read this, and if she
does, well ‘girl you know I love you like a sister, and I ain’t doing this to
hurt you’
My client-friend had brought her
findings to me a month after the surgery, a mastectomy determined
by me and my doctor based on the stage of the cancer, the "personality" of the cancer, and what was
acceptable to me in terms of my long-term peace of mind.
That peace was marred by my
unrepentant chameleon father who had sneaked back into my life on a false
pretense as he caused division between me and my siblings, and cleared off what
was left in my NGO’s account while I recuperated on my sick bed.
He is the reason I volunteered to
monitor the climate change response in Lekki- Ajah axis of Lagos State in
addition to my NGO, Fear Drop.
You are probably wondering what that
has got to do with climate change. Everything, yes everything, when I learn
that he owns a valuable property in Lekki that blocks a canal thereby hindering
the free flow of water, one of the causes of flooding, and the authorities are
keeping silent about it because he has some powerful friends in the corridors
of power.
I am going to cry to the high
heavens until that building is brought down as I won’t allow one man’s luxury
and selfishness put many people in misery.
I must admit that my great dislike
for the man I used to call my father fired this humanitarian zeal in me, but
when I approached Mercy at the close of the workshop and asked her why she insisted
Lagos will be no more in fifteen years and listened to the facts of her
argument my nerves almost got paralyzed.
… to be continued.
End Credit: starring @aninoritse as
EJIRO; @RealBobbyBlaise as Client-friend's brother; @PinkLipsChic as
Client-friend; Guest Starring @AbangMercy as herself; Graphics Designer -
@Naughtinez; Photo Concept - @Dinnovatorsmind; Story/Concept - @thenaijaseer
Note: You may follow them on twitter
for an update on the story.
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