Lessons From a Keke Ride

There are some mornings that can teach you a whole lot more than books ever could.

It wasn't just some usual routine trip to the market on this beautiful morning, but turned out to be a ride loaded with stories, regrets, and life lessons, shared in a Keke Napep (tricycle), and all I did was listen.

Ready to move out of the house, I jammed the door and twisted the key to the right side, which indicated it was locked. I took another glance at the door to be sure I locked it, and then I took steps forward to the staircase.

One. Two. Three.. like a rhythm, I hurried down the staircase, still trying to blend the makeup on my face with one hand to smoothen it.

I didn't want to step outside looking like a masquerade or like one the unfriendly street dog would start barking at, alerting the whole neighbourhood.

I was more than sure everything was okay, and as I hurriedly took more steps which seemed like a twenty-minute walk to the main road, I waited until I saw a Keke Napep coming out of the end of the road.

He'd gone to drop off every passenger and was headed back to the junction. I hailed and signaled for him to stop and he did after passing me a little bit. I walked a few steps to meet him.

"Good morning, sir, I'm going to the junction," I calmly said to the man, who seemed to be in his fifties. "Good morning, young lady," he replied. I sat comfortably, as I was the only passenger, of which he took more as he drove a few minutes and the seat was filled.

The Keke began to move, and so did a spark of heavy, heated conversations, touching on various topics.

Two other passengers were busy talking about the Nigerian economy as they expressed their frustration on how bad the government had been, without an iota of concern for the citizens.

They talked about people who are mostly travelling out of the country for greater means of livelihood because the country isn't encouraging, raising issues of hunger and how many are struggling to feed all because of the mistakes that were made, particularly blaming most Nigerians for voting the wrong person.

I, on the other hand, was just listening to them. "Only if these people could stop complaining about the whole issue on the ground and focus on praying for the betterment of the nation and find something to do themselves," I muttered in my mind.

This is more reason we need to keep praying for the good of our country, and not criticise anyone. Thanks to the digital space today where everyone can find something to do and live fine.

It's so sad that most people who insult the leaders or complain they aren't doing better are the ones doing nothing to resolve the issue or that they are adding fuel to the fire through taking advantage of every opportunity while oppressing others .

And they say the economy is bad!

We all would have to help ourselves at some point. Instead of complaining the government isn't doing anything, why can't we do something for ourselves and not make life uncomfortable for some?

I could feel their frustration though, mostly when one of the passengers, a woman who has three children, lamented how it's hard to eat even two times a day. This is life and every man for himself.

Then the driver jumped in and began sharing his story. He explained how he graduated from school years back, comparing the past and how a lot has changed today.

He was stopped from his old job three years ago and said that one thing he regretted not doing was investing and tying his money down to some businesses that should be booming by now, as he was advised then, but squandered all his salaries, living a 'worthless lifestyle' as he called it.

He thought he had more time in his job to gather enough money, but the sack letter came at a time he didn't expect. That cost him a lot. His children, who were still in secondary school, were affected and they stopped schooling.

He was forced to start commercial driving, of which he's trying to manage whatever comes in every day. He applauded his wife for standing by him despite all that happened and how it could have been worse if she'd left in such a state, especially when she knew it was all his fault.

As I listened intently to his story, it was emotional. I felt pity for him, but I held onto those lessons - investment and being prepared in case the worst happens.

As I bowed my head in thought, I couldn't stop being grateful for this time and opportunity at my fingertips. How I was pushed into investing in shares and other investment platforms. One thing I don't want to do is blame anyone for my circumstances because it's up to me to make a change if I want to live a good life.

If there are a few people I need to be grateful to, they are my sisters. The way they monitored and always reminded me to sign up for investment plans, especially as the market price kept going up. I did listen to them, and I have been benefiting from this stuff. Twice have I enjoyed annual dividends from these platforms and I feel excited.

This is a life I'm slowly and patiently building for myself, and to those who have this kind of opportunity, I would like to congratulate you and tell you to keep going, and for others who aren't, please start now. It's never too late. Don't just sit there and blame anyone, including the government; all you can do is pray and find ways to make things work.

No one wants to live an abject poverty life, but it's better to be prepared and do all it takes to give yourself a better life now.

The ride was more than 45 minutes, but I learnt a lot.

Sometimes, the best classrooms are the daily stories of people, and all you have to do is pay attention and take what you have to take.

I held onto those words like a concerned father talking to his daughter and lashing out some great life tips never to let go of or forget. I saw the story as one I mustn’t fail to walk on for my future.

It's always a good feeling listening to people talk about their lives, regrets and lessons, as this helps you look forward to creating a better future and not make the same mistakes as them.

It's so painful to see how the mistakes of others affect those around them but no, I won't be tempted to go in that direction but take what is important for me, making sure I try to live my life in a way that others wouldn't come to be affected due to my mistakes.

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