No food for lazy man

Some days ago I was sitting in a commercial bus on my way to Community Development meeting, on Ikorodu road, when I saw a tricycle in front of us with the caption at its back reading "No food for lazy man". I thought about it and shook my head in disagreement. I have many facts to prove otherwise, especially that morning.
I boarded a bus heading for Ojuelegba under bridge, and it stopped (of course) along the way, at known bus stops. It stopped at Town planning (opposite Anthony Village), only to be told to step aside by LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) officials. There were about four of them,and there was also a uniformed official from MOPOL, carrying a rifle and looking very menacing. What was the driver's crime? Nothing that we could put our finger on. Within seconds, they has assigned a plainclothes man to collect the key and drive the bus.

We the passengers were left speechless. We tried to evaluate the situation - what was the driver's crime? Did he drive in the wrong lane? No, he was in the side lane like all the other commercial buses. Did he stop at a wrong place? No he did not, as I have been travelling that route for ages and it is a known bus stop - even the new LAGBUS built a busstop right there. Then as the new person drove us towards Obanikoro, I realized that the officials just "caught" about four buses, and it seemed they were through for the morning. They each had plain clothes men dirve the buses and head into Obanikoro to godness-knows-where.

It is a sad thing in Nigeria - no one really knows their rights, and those that know are almost always afraid to state it, because of the guns that are always around to threaten them.

It is a sad thing to realize that while robbers are having a field day terrorizing people around Lagos, our officials are terrorizing citizens as well.

It is a sad thing to note that Our Law enforcement officials (most of them anyway) lack good face value - I always snort when I read anywhere that the Police is my friend.

It is a sad thing that being innocent does not guarantee your being free.

Needless to say that I was delayed, but I still got to the meeting on time.

As I was still thinking about these things, at Palmgrove busstop, the bus I was in was stopped by three "plain clothes guys" demanding for money. I looked around - there wer five LASTMA officials looking on, there was a Police man also. The conductor of the bus refused to cooperate, and a fight ensued. As the bus driver packed to intervene, I didn't know when I said out loud, "Not again!"