Choice Obein

A Not-So-Fun Friday Night and the Saturday Abuja Transport Wahala

Friday nights are for resting, right? I mean, it’s the night you can head out to clubs, parties, go for vigils, try out your favorite restaurant—or maybe even explore a new one. But not me.

On this particular Friday night, I was at a friend’s place doing one of the things I absolutely love: braiding hair. Oh, you thought this story was going to be about some wild Friday night adventure? Nope. (I don't do such) Like I said, I spent the whole night braiding my friend’s hair. So yeah—Friday night? Gone. It’s Saturday where the real wahala began.

Now, let me rewind a bit. Since I spent the entire night braiding, I barely slept. And guess what? I was in church by 6 a.m. the next morning. Don’t even ask me how I managed to wake up and get ready in time. Honestly, even I can’t explain it. God did it. Church ended by 1 p.m., and all I wanted was to get home. So I did what any one without a car would do—I entered public transport. Luckily, the car I entered had only two passengers at the back. I became the third.

For those who don’t know, in Abuja—and probably in many other parts of Nigeria—public taxis usually carry four people at the back, two in front, plus the driver. That’s seven humans squeezed into one small car. Seven!!! Imagine that. Anyway, after a sleepless night and a full morning of church activities, I was exhausted. And with just three of us at the back, I had enough room to relax a little. No squeezing, no pressing body-to-body. I mean, I’m not a sardine. So, what did I do? I had a small discussion with the holy spirit, I prayed. Yes, I did. Not just to get home safely, but that the driver wouldn’t pick another passenger—at least not until I dropped.
“Is this a bad prayer?” “Am I a bad person?” I asked myself. It’s not like I wished the driver bad business or didn’t want him to make money. I was just… tired. I didn’t want discomfort.

And please, before you judge me—I’ll get my own car soon, just battling small sapa for now. Now listen to the best part: the two people sitting with me at the back eventually dropped. The last one got off at Phase 3. From there to NYSC Junction, I had the whole back seat to myself!!! Just me. Peace and space. It felt like soft life in the middle of struggle life.😊😌🚗😌
He answered, I heaved a sigh and said "thank you" I felt good, I really did.

From: Choice Obein