A CAUSE FOR HOPE

So I was thinking of ordering some electronics from Ali Express as they have some cool Android products, both my cards got canceled even though I can use them just fine anywhere else on the net so I emailed them to ask them what was going on.

They email me back asking for a scan of my passport, credit card and full bank statement....

Since when is China the new Nigeria?

While still grieving over the needless loss of lives of those on the Dana airplane and wondering why we Nigerians keep killing one another through our various deliberate and inadvertent actions and inactions, I came across the above quote posted by an American in my circle on Google+. As can be imagined, coming across it did nothing for my already somber mood.

I had in fact copied the quote to write someday about Nigerians’ notoriety in the world. As it turned out however, that write-up is no longer likely to see the light of day and you will see the reason why shortly.

I had gone about three Saturdays ago to buy fresh pepper and tomatoes from a place I usually buy them somewhere in Alagomeji. I made my purchases and headed from there to Sabo market where I bought some other things only for me to discover at the place that was supposed to be my last stop that I had somehow lost N1,000 and so would not be able to buy the last things on my list without first getting back home to get more money. I was both irritated by my carelessness in not taking my wallet and unhappy at the thought of having to make a second trip back to the market to complete my purchases but it was something that had to be done.

Sometime last week, I had to go again to Alagomeji to buy some more tomatoes and lo and behold, the two sales girls (both around age 17 to 20) immediately on seeing me excitedly told me that they had helped me to keep my N1,000 which fell from my hand when I was there two weeks before!

How happy I was on being re-united with my lost money can only be imagined. The reason for my happiness went way beyond just getting my money back. It was more because of the fact that those two girls could have kept the money (mind you, it was the exact note that fell from my hand) for me for the two weeks it took me to go back there without convincing themselves to spend it or at least for successfully battling whatever temptations they might have faced to spend it.

That thought, more than any other lifted my spirits and gave me hope that perhaps, it’s not all bad, perhaps, the tiny ray of light can after all defeat the big blanket of darkness in form of lost values that threaten to overtake our country particularly Lagos State. And so now, I can proudly lift my head and tell the American in my circle on Google+ that while it is true that we have people in Nigeria who have scams as their only occupation (as no doubt, there are in America as well), but we also have people who are upright and honest as well and perhaps he just has to walk in the right circles!