JUSTICE IN THE JUNGLE

Life is rosy when you are the Head of Operations unit in a big corporate firm like Tunnix Resources group an information and communication technology firm. Being a senior staff in this firm has its perks, one of which includes working in a magnificent office specially designed to your taste.

My office is a large and expansive room. My workspace consists of a rectangular and stylish workstation desk with a nice swivel chair, a couple of art works hang on the wall. Wreath decorations are tastefully arranged in different sections in the office. Well labeled files are stacked inside the compartments of a shiny wall shelf. There’s a coat rack to hang suits, there’s 24 hours internet broadband and wifi connectivity.  A split unit Ac cools the room and an intercom is on hand for communication with the rest of the firm.

I am Ubong Akai, a young man in my early thirties. I am presently the operations manager of this company based in Lagos. My office is on the second floor of the corporate headquarters and it comes with a good view of the ever busy William grange street. I sometime walk to the window and pull aside the blue patterned curtains to gaze at the traffic jams that is a frequent occurrence in the street. I watch the heated arguments that ensue when impatient drivers obstruct each other with their vehicles. I see hawkers selling their wares in the traffic under the blazing sun. I always shake my head and look away because these scenes often reminds me of a phase in my life that I always try to forget.

I was once a street hustler doing all kinds of menial jobs to keep body and soul together. I searched for a job for over five years after my graduation from the University of Port harcourt. During this period i had to hit the streets to hustle until providence smiled on me one day and I got a job with this top level ICT firm. Now I am a secured man with a six digits salary middle class job. I have cut all links with my past, i don’t associate with people in the lower class, you may call me a snob if you want but that’s the way I have chosen to live my life.

Whenever I get tired of staring at the computer screen on my desk, i remove my suit, loosen my tie and walk to the refrigerator where there’s always a cold drink waiting for me. I grab it and lie down on the couch and turn on the plasma television hanging on the wall. I love the privacy this office confers on me but sometimes it becomes boring, yes sometimes you need someone to have a little conversation with.

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One Monday morning I received a short call from the Managing director to meet him in his office immediately.

“Hey Ubong grab a seat and meet Ayo our new graduate intern”. Dr Joseph Turner  said in his brisk and businesslike voice as soon as I stepped inside his office.

Dr Joseph was an expatriate from UK.  We all called him Old Joe because of his age and his old fashioned way of doing things. He was however a pleasant man if you adhered strictly to his rules.

I looked at the new guy sitting next to me. He was smartly dressed in a fitted suit. He had a clean shaven face with slightly curled hair, a dark complexioned guy with a good body built. His looks showed he was in his late 20’s.

“New graduate intern?” I thought to myself. I hoped he wasn’t one of those fresh from the university smart assess who arrogated all knowledge to themselves.

“Good morning sir good to meet you” Ayo greeted me.

“Nice to meet you too” I replied extending my hand for a handshake.

“Ayo has a Masters degree from Obafemi Awolowo university. He graduated top of his class this year. I snapped him up before Vesco utilities could take him” Dr Joseph said triumphantly.

Vesco utilities was a rival Ict firm located on the same street with us. Everybody working in Tunnix resources hated Vesco utilities because they were in fierce competition with us and always used all sorts of sharp practices and underground means to steal away our clients.

“That’s good sir” I replied. I had confidence in the MD, he always went for the best hands/brains when hiring.

“Ayo will serve as a trainee under you for one month. He is a bit of a green horn. In line with our policy he will learn the ropes for a month before we adopt him as a full time staff “.

“That is alright with me sir”. I responded.

“Just one more thing, you will be sharing your office with Ayo until we put together an office for him on the ground floor.

I assured Dr Joseph that I didn’t mind sharing my office. It was more than adequate for two people and besides it will facilitate ease of communication between us.

A small work station was set up for Ayo and he moved into my office.

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Ayo was a good natured fellow and a great team player. The work went on smoothly in a cordial environment. I was impressed with his ability to learn on the job fast. Within two weeks I was already assigning some of my duties to him and he was up to the task. He didn’t have the smugness and superior airs i always assumed all graduates of OAU had. I was sending weekly assessment reports of his work to the MD and at the end of the third week I had recommended him for full absorption into the firm.

I am a laid back person by nature and tend to take things at my pace. Ayo in contrast had an extroverted and outgoing personality. Despite these personality differences we bonded quite well.

During lunch breaks we sometimes skipped going to the staff canteen because we were engrossed in political arguments. Ayo proclaimed himself to be a revolutionary and a progressive with sympathies for the opposition party while on the other hand I was a conservative leaning towards the ruling party. Our political discussions were often heated. 

The English premier league was also another hot subject as our views often differed on which team was better placed to win the league and which player(s) should be bought or sold in the next transfer window.

Due to the nature of our interaction, it didn’t take him long to find out that I was single and wasn’t in any serious relationship. He offered to set up a blind date for me with a female friend of his. I always laughed at his attempts and brushed it off. Marriage wasn’t a serious item on my agenda. Making money and advancing my education were my immediate priorities.

Ayo had a fiancée, her pictures were splashed all over his laptop. Her name was Ifeoluwa. She was a beautiful young lady studying at American university of Nigeria (AUN).

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“Boss can you cook?” Ayo suddenly asked me one cool friday afternoon.

“Cook?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

I was a rich bachelor and didn’t see the need for cooking. I ate all my meals at fancy restaurants, my pay was sufficient to sustain this lifestyle. The last time I cooked a full meal was two years ago. I had wanted to impress a girl I was dating. I got the idea to cook a romantic dinner from a silly dating book. I had invited her over to my place and presented my specially cooked dish to her. The romantic dinner night ended in disaster as she almost choked on the salty dish I set before her. Within a week the death knell sounded on the relationship.

“Yes I can cook but mehn its been long while!”

“You should try it soon” Ayo suggested, “I cook all my meals! You know it will reduce the amount of money you are spending on eating outside”.

“You are right but wetin man go do? the stress of running around the house putting the different food ingredients together is just too much” I complained.

“You can start by buying raw food items at the market, then you can get someone to help you with the cooking” he suggested once again.

 “Ayo i can’t recall the last time I went to a market. I do all my shopping in Shoprite and highbrow supermarkets in Lekki. A market to me is a place for low class folks!” I declared.

“Boss you can’t be serious! Markets are for everybody. You should just give it a try”.

“Yes,  I will……sometime in the future” I said and turned away. The thought of rubbing shoulders with the low income earners crowd and standing to bargain and haggle over the prices of food items wasn’t appealing to me.

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When an intern is absorbed as a full time staff in our firm, a little surprise party is organized for him/her. Ayo’s case wasn’t an exception. His appointment letter came on a Thursday morning approximately five weeks since he got into the firm. Ayo was summoned for an urgent meeting with the MD in the conference room. He walked in and was surprised to see the MD and all the top management staff sitting around the table all of them wearing stern looks. He stood in front and looked at us all in confusion.

“After a detailed assessment and review of your work for the past one month, the firm has decided to retain you! Congratulations and welcome onboard to Tunnix resources!” Dr Joseph announced in a booming voice to Ayo.

We all clapped, smiled and shook hands with him.

Bottles of Bertrand white wine ordered for the occasion were popped open and glasses were filled up.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity given to me to work in this firm. I promise not to let any of you down, thank you all!”

Ayo said with appreciation and happiness written all over his face. 

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Ayo was assigned to the operations unit. This meant he was still under my supervision. His office, a small replica of my office was on the same floor with mine. I was glad to have him close by. He often dropped in to check up on me and to receive directives.

Within the space of two months Ayo’s feet was firmly established in the firm. He piled up unrelenting pressure on me until I agreed to meet with and started dating Alexandra a young lady he introduced to me in a restaurant.

One Friday evening at the close of work I was driving out of the firm’s car park when I sighted Ayo and pulled over.

 “Ayo I think I will follow your advice this weekend. I will be going to the market to pick up a few items” I said to him.

“Wow o wow, so the aristocratic gentleman now wants to mingle with the low class market goers?  He responded grinning.

“ I am serious. I want to stock the refrigerator with some items this weekend and besides Alexandra is coming over on Saturday evening, i want to surprise her with a home cooked dish”.

“I knew it! you are doing this for love huh? What time do u want to hit the market boss? I could come with you” he inquired.

“Around …err…10 am Saturday, I wouldn’t stay for more than an hour”.

“Which market?

“Oba Akoto market. You know it is close to my residence” I replied.

“Okay I’ll meet you there boss”.

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I drove slowly down Ozumba Avenue on my way to Oba Akoto market. Traffic was free flowing because it was a Saturday morning. As I came close to the market i sighted the sea of heads at the entrance and almost turned back when a passerby informed me that it was the main market day hence the large crowd at the gate.

I parked by a pavement in front of a residential building, a safe distance from the gate and walked in cautiously into the market. I had no idea if Ayo would come as he promised. I had dialed his number but got no reply.

The arena was bustling with sellers and buyers. Music blared from record shops. Traders stood in their stalls hailing customers and enticing them to buy their goods, a truck stacked with bags of garri stood nearby and men were offloading the bags into a store carrying the heavy bags on their heads. I walked deep inside surveying the goods on display. I didn’t have a list of things to buy. I just wanted to get the experience and maybe purchase one or two items to justify my foray into the market.

On getting close to a section where furniture items were being sold, a young man suddenly ran past me carrying a bundle of lace materials. He roughly pushed me and the other people on his path aside. We turned round and shouted on him. A few obscenities and abuses were hurled on him. A chubby looking trader ran out of her shop shouting at the top of her voice….

“Ole, Ole, Ole!”.

We didn't need a soothsayer to know she was referring to the guy who just ran past us. Just for the fun of a having a little morning adventure and to satisfy my curiosity i followed in hot pursuit alongside many other men and women.

We hadn't gone far when we saw a mob gathered around a young man, beating him with sticks and chains. Something was wrong; he wasn't the man who ran out of the store with those laces! I I looked straight at him, the resemblance was unmistakable.

The young man was Ayo my friend and colleague! I stood there stunned.

 What the hell happened? How did Ayo manage to show up and get himself entrapped in this mess?

I saw the female trader screaming at the top of her voice.

“No be am o, no be im tif my cloth!”.

Roused into action I shouted at the top of my voice waving my arms around in a desperate attempt to disperse the crowd.

“It is not him! He is my friend!!!!! He is not the thief!!! Leave him alone!!! No be am!!"

The noise of the blood thirsty citizens drowned out my voice as we watched a man bring a tire and throw around Ayo’s neck. A little pool of blood was forming on the ground, Ayo was in terrible pain.

I furiously shoved and pushed people aside in a bit to get to his side. The crowd was swelling and thickening at every passing minute.