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Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti Hon. Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi
Other attendees
Abuja, Nigeria The weather was quite warm on this historic day. The shape of the sky was receding intermittently and enveloping into a clear and bright day. It was breathtaking. The birds chirped noisily, flapping their wings endlessly as they flew. Earlier in the day, the heavens had threatened to open forth with a heavy downpour. Not surprisingly, the black clouds subsided and remained calm, due to the incessant chanting and incantations of an old man standing some few yards from the entrance to Aso Rock. No doubt, the old man was summoned to invoke his supernatural powers to delay the natural course of events. The conference was scheduled to start at 2.00pm, although many critics knew that was improbable. The conceptual smug phrase, "African Time", was not just invented for Africans for the sake of it. By this time, all roads leading to Abuja was heavy with traffic conveying delegates of the SNC to discuss the pertinent problems affecting Nigeria, and in particular, to formulate ideas on how to resolve them and move on from there. The "Okadas" had a field day, refusing blatantly to carry any female passengers. The policemen, all of whom were wearing unconventional uniforms, had extreme difficulty directing the flow of traffic. But much drama was to come. As the cars moved at a progressively slower pace, the driver of a well-known figure pulled up to the hard shoulder of the motorway to let his "Oga" out. Apparently, the well-known figure had to attend to the call of nature urgently. The well-known figure and two occupants in his flashy SL500 Mercedes Benz car, all ran at once to the other side of the road with a car narrowly missing them. To the dismay of everyone, and oblivious to the prying eyes of many people, they all stooped low, whilst adjusting their "agbada", and did a No 1. Minutes later, they all crossed the road by running at the same time. Again, an irate motorist screamed abuse when he nearly hit them. They did not seem perturbed or showed any remorse for their shameful behaviour. As they approached the car, they all rubbed their hands together - almost at the same time. Next, they rubbed their faces, and heaved a long sigh of relief. They all returned to the car to find that there was no noticeable change in the traffic congestion that continued to build up by the minute. No one was able to ascertain with strict accuracy the real reason why there was traffic congestion. Many cars simply queued up, got to the front of the queue and wondered what had caused the congestion in the first place. Then it dawned on them. The police were checking the "particulars" of drivers. Any driver found not having the correct credentials, or who simply could not provide them, was publicly lashed with 30 strokes of the cane. As a result of this, the traffic congestion did not abate. Similarly, the air space leading towards Abuja was congested with airplanes and private jets. About fifty planes landed simultaneously in Abuja airport gbosa, an unprecedented feat in airport aviation history. The Abuja airport too was jam packed with so many people. However, tight security ensured only the delegates were allowed access to the Aso Rock Villa. The time was now 2.45pm. As guests began to arrive, some of them exchanged pleasantries and hugged each other affectionately. Understandably, those that were at loggerheads with one another refused to bury the hatchet by their evidently cold and indifferent attitude. Meanwhile, a cluster of ethnic groups stood outside Aso Rock holding deep and heated discussions. Many wore eye catching attires, from Cocaine Lace, Organza Lace, Cupion stanza, Eyele, Guinea brocades, Ankara, Kampala, Aso Oke, George, Adire, and designer wears such as Gorgio Felini, Moschino, Calvin Klein, Versace, Emporio Armani, Pierre Cardin, Polo, Ciro Cittero, Ralph Lauren, Gant, YSL, L’Uomo, Ben Sherman, Valentino, Gorgio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Sonetti, Gabiadini, Gucci, Hugo BOSS, etc. By 3.15pm, the conference had still not started despite Dr Doyin "The fridge" Okupe, the President's Press secretary, shouting himself hoarse for all the delegates to come inside and let the conference begin. The atmosphere was unbearably tense due to the angry voices of dissenters. It was not immediately known why everyone stood outside, refusing to go in, until Dr. Chuba Okadigbo spoke. "Look here, Doyin, I cannot speak for the other ethnic groups, but go and tell Sege that we are not going in until we negotiate a contract of how much he is going to pay each delegate. That also includes furniture for our respective houses. I don't know about the other Igbo delegates, but can you arrange to pay my own fee in dollars? And my furniture preference has to be Italian made".
Published with the permission of the author | |||||||||||||
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