FROM SUBURB TO URBAN

But seeing the states was geographical. 

I took my concentration off the main road and brought it back into the luxurious bus as the road and houses we passed were pretty much the same. Inside the bus however proved more entertaining.

A man in probably his late 40s who had been helping the passengers arrange themselves and their luggage suddenly began to sing: "O praise da Lord, o singo o singo ooo praise da Lord". The passengers immediately began to respond; the women threw handkerchiefs over their heads. Some of the guys removed their caps. Captain my brother and Ekene continued with their endless discussion about their Oga and made it more noisy with their throaty laughter. I wondered if the prayers and gospels wasn't for them. The loader turned man of God was becoming louder at each responded Amen from his 'congregation,. I joined in the prayer but sincerely I joined just as an observer. For me it was another discovery. After the many blessings prayed onto our heads, the 'man of God' began his real business for joining us in the bus. He had written a book on "DESTROYING THE SATAN KPATAKPATA". He asked us to support his ministry to enable its movement towards the permanent site. I wondered if the already established ministries weren't enough for the conversion of souls. What we needed about to our SS 1 Economics teacher was MORE FACTORIES. We used to call him the atheist but for just a moment inside the luxurious bus I concurred with him. He passed the Satan destroying book around beckoning on us all to accept and then give out anything. of course the two people you would have guessed refused to collect the books. Instead Ekene said: "Oga do your business comot make person sleep". Captain laughed more noisily. I smiled but had some pity for the loader turned businessman of God.

Immediately the preacher stepped down, 'Doctor Okenwa took over. From one of the compartments he took out a medium sized 'ghana must go' bag inside which were stored drugs and herbs with the overall ability and potency of healing all types of diseases; cancer, arthritis, back pain, constant fever and headache, diarrhea, syphilis, gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases. Each drugs cures over seven ailments completely without any chance of a comeback. He told us about some testimonies; how a woman was totally cured of her fibroid after taking one of his roots. The woman lost his contact but recognized him inside a bus on his way to Abuja. so many other testimonies with none happening in our own very eyes. A reminiscent of how we do hear about miracles in churches without ever seeing it first hand. So many pastors were said to have cured thousands of mad men yet the mad people we grew up to know were either still mad or long dead; njemiyookwuru, nwanyi na-agara onwe ya, etc. 

Anyway he was patronized mainly when he advertised the totally cleanser that cured all types of sexually transmitted diseases. I wondered why the rush. I thought sex was a taboo #virginme#.

Next came the food seller.

TO BE CONTINUED