Must Read: Life Of Uam Boy

6 years ago

Must Read: Life Of Uam Boy

South core, university of Agriculture makurdi is the heart of the campus. Two boys hostels, two female hostels, off k are all located at the south core.

The north core is less crowded as it only host one male hostel.

Students could be seen scattered around the south core, some going to the class, some just hanging out with friends some where even in the sport complex playing different games.

Of all the students loitering around the school environment, only two looked confused.

They were standing on the third floor of the academic block b. There seemed to be looking for something or someone. The two boys where philip and i.

We were confused, what would our next move be? Are we supposed to follow musa for backup? Hell no!!! Even musa himself told us just to look out for mr.tiav. But musa wasn’t aware that we were playing for the both teams. What if the guy whom musa was pursuing had his gang waiting for him? Mr.tiav said we should follow the criminal but who should we follow? Is it musa? Is it the guy that just stole our package or should we pursue ourself? Because we are also criminals.

Confusion was written on our faces. We had done the dirty job and another person wanted to reap our fruit.

“Why you no wan tell musa say we the work with the man?” i broke the silence with a question

“you want make him shortage the money?” philip replied

Greed!! Anywhere you see greed, you are bound to see disunity. I Just hope ours would be different.

“Guy make we follow musa o, that guy fit carry am enter him zanga” i advised philip and he nodded in approval.

We set out to rescue musa, following the path which musa took. After walking for about 15minutes, our thinking faculty started working, thanks to the ever blazing sun of uam.

“Oboy make we call am na” philip suggested.

“ehm call am na” i quickly said.

He looked at me with his red eyes and spoke “you no dey ever call person?”
“No be credit dem dey use call?” i asked.

And so? He asked looking confused.

“I no get credit na”. I replied him.

Truly, i had no airtime in my phone. I was broke to the extent that i was even flashing ‘costumer care’.

I even know all of mtn’s costumer care representatives but my favourite was joy. Samuel was also friendly but charity was the most hostile. She had once warned me to stop flashing them, telling me stuffs like “we dont charge you for calling us”. But i had stopped believing mtn. They would give you #100 bunus and cut it at the rate of 50k/sec.

Philip brought out his phone and called musa. Afterall he was now the celebrity in our midst, he should be acting like one.

“Oboy where you dey?” philip asked as soon as musa picked the call. Looks like he was also economizing his airtime.

“Okay, we don dey come” he concluded the call.

“Oboy, musa the wait for us for house”. Philip informed me.

“What about the money na?” i asked
“him don collect am” philip replied.
I felt relieved, like a huge burden had been lifted off my head. We still had mr.tiav to answer to but that wouldn’t be a problem.

Musa had just justified his title. He had successfully planned and executed a blackmail.

I wouldn’t doubt him next time.

Mr.tiav also called to know if we collected the money but we told him we were still following the guy. That the guy was a professional but we were up to the task.

We went home to see musa on the phone.

“are you in north core now? Okay move to the library, there is a locker where bags are kept outside the library, have you seen it?” musa was directing mr.tiav.

“Good, there is a key on the window, use it to open compartment 24. You will see a black leather, there is a memory card inside, it contains the recording” musa informed him
“Its been nice doing business with you mr.tiav” he concluded and ended the call.

Gosh!!! Musa was becoming an expert criminal.

“Anini” i hailed him.

“Na your father be anini idiot” he playfully insulted me.

Guy the money complete ba? I asked.

“E complete na, na 20k i tell the man and na 20k him drop” musa confirmed.

Philip excused himself and went outside to make a call.

“Guy!! Dis calls for celebration” i shouted.

“yes o, make i enter kitchen go cook” musa dropped the best words i’v heard all day. He got up and went to the kitchen.
Philip finished with his call and came back. He wasn’t happy, i could see it in his face.

“oboy wetin happen?” i asked him.

He looked up and down before speaking.

“guy yawa dey, na 30k the man give musa”.

Musa was in the kitchen cooking when philip broke the news to me. I wonder why philip was angry considering he would have done the same thing.

“Guys, my belle just the sweet me” musa shouted from the kitchen. Why your belle no go sweet you, when you steal our money? I was thinking.

“That mr.tiav na maga and magas go everly the pay” he continued.

“so we sef na maga shey?” philip asked him.

I wouldn’t blame philip, musa has indirectly informed us that no matter your relationship with him, as long as you are a maga, you must pay.

“You mumu ehm, na your name be mr.tiav?” musa shouted from the kitchen. He was oblivious of the fact that we are aware of his deeds.

He came out of the kitchen with water on his hands, he cleaned the water on the piece of clothing hanging on the door. He was smiling.
Some people dont just know when to smile.

“i don tell you make you stop dey drink akamu, the thing the make you mumu”

musa said, still smiling. He was trying to crack jokes but the atmosphere in the room was to tight for jokes..

“why una the bone face na, una chew bitter kola ni?” musa continued his talk.

“guy where the remaining 10k?” philip went straight to the point.

“Which 10k be that?” musa asked, feigning ignorance.

“guy no even joke with me o, you think say i no know say na 30k you collect from that man?

“Guy, calm down, who tell you all this mumu things?” musa inquired.

“na who tell me you wan know abi you go tell me where the remaining 10k dey?” philip said moving close to me.

All this while, i’v been silent like it wasn’t my business but when i saw philip moving close to musa, i knew i had to do something. I quickly stood up went inbetween musa and philip.

“Guys make una chill, e never reach this level na” i advised them
“musa na thief” philip shouted.

“Wetin you dey talk na? Who tell you this one?” musa inquired.

“na mr.tiav himself tell me” philip replied him.

Musa was suprised. He looked from philip to me. It didn’t make sense to him. How would mr.tiav confide in philip? What was their relationship?

“Oh, you the suprise?” philip asked.
He went forward to explain everything to the shocked musa.

“so why you no tell me before the operation? Abi you no know say every information dey important?” musa started raising his voice.

“you the mad abi? Na me you the shout” philip shouted back.

I was still in the middle looking like a child watching two adults fight.

In one heavy push, philip trew me to the ground. Oh boy!!!! I never knew he had that kind of strenght or maybe anger was his energizer. He was walking straight to musa, anger all over his face.

He had already raised his hands to slap musa when a voice spoke.

“whats going on here?”.

We all traced the direction of the voice. Vivian was standing at the door.

“whats wrong with you guys? I’v been hearing your shouts from the end of this street. Whats happening?” she asked no one in particular.

We were all looking like children who had been caught by their mother stealing meat from the pot.

Nobody was ready to talk, any wrong sentence could blow our operation.

She gave philip an inquiring look.

“i want to go and take my bath” he said and walked out.

She turned and faced musa.
“my food is on the fire” he also walked out leaving me and vivian.

She wanted to face me in the same manner when i spoke.

“don’t look at me like that, i was already going out before you came”. with that i walked out of the room.

I somehow blamed her for everything that was happening. We were one big united family before she came. All of a sudden she started showering us with money, teaching us the different uses of money. This is the main reason why everybody now wants to have more money than others.

You can call me jealous, you can say am naive but i dont care. Seriously, i dont care. I’m just sick of everything. I bought purewater on my way home. It somehow calmed me down, i could now think properly.

I started understanding the whole events. The strange guy that took our money was musa’s pawn in the game. No wonder musa suggested that we watch mr.tiav while he goes after the guy. And no wonder he collected the money easily. There was always an unseen hand. How else could musa go to north core and return before us?

I went home and collapsed on my bed.
Few minutes later philip came and joined me.

We were discussing when musa came and joined us. He apologised for his behaviour telling us how he needed the money and wasn’t going to be part of our party.

Philip also apologised and confessed about how he had intended to cheat musa. We all forgave ourselves, little did we know that musa had a secret plan.