THE SHIP WAS SAILING

I wanted to write an intresting stories on Nigeria's 51 independent annivery,befor i go on let me write one thing funny this morning the hard oga came to pip through my window and founed me performing my morning prayer, what hapened,he was wshing his car, should i come and takeover washing of his car? God for bid, after my prayer gave thank to god , and asked God to protect Nigeria from terrorist, and help everyboday who seek his[God] help. Ameen.I took my three bucket two to carry water and one will contain omo to wash oga maraba's car, did you know one of our tenant's wife have delivered a baby girl yesterday, so earlier than before the man drove aut and saw me raikedede? and he stop and sauid i, must go early first to the hospital before my office, and i said to him thank sir, say hi to your madam. 2 minuets later Barrister drove aut too they all left behind Baba Timi and the hard Alhaji. As soon as i left the baba maraba having finished washed it, i get to my boot to take tea.Now my story about 51 independent annivery. last year 2010 october 1, i wrote a poem which i commended all volunteer working in Nigeria, and encourage them becouse of incesant bombing that rocked the area of the ceremony, and other places becouse it is our own country and criminal are terrorising us we wiil not fear, and they should not fear as well.. Today another year has come so we must celebrate our independent day, either in our home, working place etc etc, Everybody join Nigeria celebrate her 51 independent anniversry, it is recent we Igala came to realised that independent is for the whole Nigeria we use to say Igala independent[ meaning ] igala nola,n. simply Igala day, during the civil war in Nigeria Igala was on the boarder, and fought to defend Nigeria it was this time the Native authorit was rased, and splited into three local government area namely, Idah  Dekina and Ankpa, divisions, it would have meant to say after the war the three divisions would have to became a state as the nation started practicing state policy, yet we  were marged with, Benue, before the present kogi state. The state of Igala if not Lokoja , it must be igala land, we have the potential phiscally land mass economy and capability.

This morning i, woke up early, but not wishes to start preparation for usual morning pray, eventualy, one of the tenan, has started his car, he did not say any thing but i, guest, may be he is going to the hospital, i opened the gate, and drove through off the compound. i siad to my selve ok, let me go and lie for some minuets before i can perform my prayer and go on to wash barrister's car.I have decided not to wash Goni's car becouse he has not pay a !000 naira, as it were our agreement for and the tenant. Goni has not been paying since january 2011 and he attacked,me during the ramadan, punched my lip and cut with blood, i do'nt understand him may be he want to bring war, i stoped washing his car and he did not asked me to wash for either, he is going work late nowdays than before may be he is waiting for who?i,m the gateman one lady in his house opende the gate halve way and sat down behind it i was entering found the gate halve way and pushed it only to see the lady siting there why are you siting , i asked her, you would have pip before you pushed the gate, sorry please.Before i finished washing Barrister's car, the other tenant came back, when he saw me at the side of the gate, Akpai i will leave the car door open, you should wash it. ok sir.I fetch some water and opened the barrister's car, remove the foot mart, and clean it with a rag and go on to Asafa's car and started washing it after i have washed one side of the , i returned to barrister and he came aut preparing to go quickly i opened the car and cleaned the remaining, foot marts, he spoke to his wife and reached to his pocket take , he handed me a two hundred, naira note thank sir, i was thinking on what to do iam looking for two hundred naira to buy palm oil, and pepe, and maggi to coock, a ptte, yam, o, who will came and give me a gift, it was Jibrin a mechanic he came to repaire Asafa's generator, thank God jb, as i used to call him please i need 50k for me to coock pette yam here is 30k manage take machine no do'nt worry.

A PROPERTY FOR SALE

Ineed money and at th end what i wanted the money was'nt it i spent my money, can i say Abdulahi hated me no' i can see the opportunity around only that the management did'nt take to my initiative, while the Gm was on the grosry i would be on the property, as a manager, and it will not disturbe anyone in the management, i can detect corruption, Hussain has Isa's official so he wanted his brother to take over my position as to the property you know Isa promised to take care of me and now that the house have be put together they would have pay me a reasonable commissions and as is partain to housing and security the intelligent here is the tenant should regard ed me as security and think way of paying me a salary, rather they are looking at me as a neihbour, a ship houseboy, Like former EFCC, chairman Mr Nuhu Iam responding to the landlord and not the tenant, there is way you must look at things this way when the landlord come on a visit to the house he meet me and we talk even the hassan's brother was in and the landlord did not ask of them either and when one of the tenant was moving aut of the house i ,m the one to informed the landlord and he bid him byebye.more so the land lord have authyorised me to market the house, and have connected me to one agent who is responsible for his property here.The four unit bungalow is located behind the federal house karu nyanya road, a three bed rooms and a fenched iterlocked for a car park, woul you like to invest in this property that fetching around N1.6m annually,is going for 40000000[ fourty million naira] but it is nagotiatable.

Relocation

,In 1999 i have decided to relocate to Abuja following my inability to secure funds for my farming projects,i arrived apolo estate now unity estate and stayed with my friend Suleman Usman a plumber.at that time, the Karu resort was about to commencing work, in january they started clearing the site where i too participate in the work and earned money a day above what i use to recieve in the police force, and as the work started fully, i, was opportuned to get employed by the company,the new life after police started here, The building company Asuj international under one Alhaji Abu Jimla, went corrupt and unable to continued withe building, for one full year Asuj was unable to us salary then i decided to go back but a staff sgt. Abdulahi now Warrant officer, was looking for some one to stay in his newly built house in Fedral house estate nyanya, so my friend usman isa introduced me to the man and i was agreed to stay in the house in case thiefs would vandalise the material in the house, there i started to write first to vso of my new address and friends like Graham and robin at Ecclesal road , south sheffield s11 9pg, Uk and travessa Tritao vaz teixerira-179 garjau 9125-077 canico Madeira and informed them that i have be relocated to Abuja, gradually developement started entering into the federal housing estate , and some person whom i later known and call Alhaji Isah Hassan he is a member of the national assembly before the 2003 general election came to commencing work on his plot where iam now living.Isah has made me his care taker, when he wanted to propose to me about caretaking of his property and engineer Awal was coming he told him to wait until he finish talking with me . For how long have you be stayed in this property he enquired five years sir, now continue to stay and take care of this my property untill it is finally completed before you can relocate to the security boot, and i will payou your salary. That is how i became one of the caretakers in the f c t.

IN A WILDERNESS

My situation as at now need urgent atention, since the occupant the tenant have held meeting and discussed what should be my role as a gateman. One of the tenant a barrister wanted to know who employed me and i replied by named the landlord as one who employed me. you see we are paying you money but you did not seriouse with your work probably the landlord might have made you to believe that the security boot you are sitting is your permnent place we can shase you and put another person, but i do not want to call to inform my landlord about their plan,. the barrister went on you are going to sweep the compound in adition you should open gate and close it as well.for 24hours you are going to stay on duty and your salary is 4000,Alhaji Goni come in even you are not to go mosq, becouse we that work under minister, do not leave office for praying, And i thank them for their comments and opinions, i tougth they are joking , there is no organisation that pay a four thounsand as salary[4000] as a citizen no one can confined me for the sake of a job none sence.Sin then all my next plan of actions remained in my mind, what shall i do farming has be my business and it required money to start so i believe this men are intimidating as iam one the land lord personelll. And i give thank to God as well, for given me the knowledge and skill , so the money i will earn from my activities such as car wash and maitenance if rquired was ten times the 4000, and with that i can manage my life.

UGBEDOMAGU 11 years after.

When i finally decided to go into farming, Ugbedomagu village was my port of call, it was this period that the development in democracy today in Nigeria if any started.My message at this period,early 1989, was a community base agricultural improvement, a challenge you may say, with nothing in my pocket, only a mountful promise by the then vso' s field Director Dr. Robin Story who also at the period visited Ugbedomagu village. In august 2 2011 i was in Ubgedomagu to condoled my uncle over the death of his senior sister. Madam Otini, who also is my aunty. Ugbedomagu as i reached the village thing does'nt seemed defferent, only to noticed that the town is treated by erosion, or else sawmiler haven Morto saw operators around the forest the normal noise of engine as i used to when i was practicing my bas.[Basic agricultural service] that has be the name of my project up till now.

DECEASE & DRUG.

If your sister imformed you that nher dougther 's illness is worsen is it a wrong for me to ask her how was her husband doing about his dougther? hear my sister's re action; you are my senior brother and iam telling you the condition of my dougther, iam not asking you for money for treating my dougther and she off the phone. In august 2010 when i went for my father burial the dougther of my sister had an ailment around her breast, and iam sure it is as same as the one i sufered when i was in the police force Qickly i took a cutlass, i went to the bush and fetched the roots of PELISMA, orORTE, it is effective if you applied it could you believe my sister underate the roots untill the ailment become worst, to the extend that the girl have paralize. o. my God after one year i saw this lady i hardly recongnised her, any expert who knew her at the begining of her illness, will conclude that she is dead, one funny thing that happened when we arrived at the native doctor where she have be recieving treatment , my sister failed to introduced me one came to the room whe the sick lady was laying and offered a prayer i must use my police knowledge to find thing out myself, ' what , do i do? i raised up and go after the man who prayed to a separate building where one average woman was siting, and greeted good afernoon and a happy salah' wish you the same the replied. you the lady you are atending to her dougther, is my my junior sister and i would like to know how far you have gone with the sick lady, they gave me an explanation,and

TAKING THE BULL BY IT HORN

The work we expected to finishes in two weeks now, this is the 5th weeks, due to Alhaji's travel. if he bought the marerial he will leave, for twoo weeks we will be stranded without material to work and delay continued so i can blame Alhaji, if he i steady around we know he didnot hestitate, to buy any material, the house is upstir, we did not proposed about scafol, or lader, despite the fact that we did'nt get the suitable paint at the starting point, we did not worry, becouse we are working with the available paints,there are a lot of variet of green did you know the name of theis color? Alhaji asked me. This color is called light green,. and if you are doubt Ado please use white color with this dark green it will give you the  light green we wanted, yess Ado said, try and let see, Alhaji requested, Ado tookk a little green and mixed it with the same qauntity of white, and applied it on the wall and it give us rhe result we all needed. Later Alhaji calle me over the phone That there is no need of the experiment becouse he have find the ligt green, now what is the name of the other green, we called it leave green.

DEFENDING MY PERSONALITY

Let us look at the term security, security simply define prevention, and aprehension of crime.but are there diferences, if as a private security, your community or the person , your employer may add you another job, eg doin a house work cleaning up sending you here and there, to mention but a fiew., You may be a security to four who would like you to be around all the time so to be open gate too, eventualy, you are alone would you be able to cater for the four people , one of them may need you to buy him a fuel while another wants you to do some cleaning , here you at the cross road, but let me prsent one situation here, you belong to the landlord who told you he cannot care for his tenant:'s security,but he strongly in your support if you wish to work as a security guard he has ceased from paying you salary, so far his tenant would like you to remain as a security.. so iam a security, can any of them make a full of me by determine, or looking at me in a diferent manner, without formal negotiation as a reference to welfare, it become that they are incharge, to me they cannot teach me a security duty, if thewy fail to pay me i will report them to the agent who brought them not the landlord anyway.

A NEW SKILL

Therefore a new skill is necessary, i did not wish to go in to politic any way, but it has a similarity, in my kind of programme, abadone my police job, and cannot secure a fund to execute my project, after some time in the vilage i decided to come down to the city where i started working with a private firm, who are involving in building, followed the complation of one estate i was made the security there i acquired the skill of maitenance,as time ticking, it happened tenant, aquired the estate, my boss told me he has no place to post me for now and if i can continue with the new tenant well, he be supporting me, you know, we negotiate with them they have agree to be given me a 1000 maira each of them, to enable keep soul and mind together, later these people started to show different, which mean to say i must be their subject, even this morning as i have arrived from the site, i have a curel with one of the tenant who was presurise me on why i did not take permission before leaving, and i have no fear whatever,becouse iam in contact with my landlord who have worn an election in the National assembly.

Ambition

Until i leave ugbedomagu before ocholi can get in as counselor, before the village politice was who is your father, but i tried to defend people who settled at ubedomagu, during the 1999, the pole was none sence only ocholi gathered people, as his suporter he did not alwed any one who does not belong to him to cast his vote. i did'nt lay a compaint, but i made sure he did not win. The night i leave we went to the forest and loaded a truck, with a time 4by12 and i have a share of 500 hundred naira.enough for to Abuja.

HERO

In july 1984, i revist Lokoja once again,my last life in lokoja was in 1968 when i travelled along with one Mohammed ochele, an Islamic scholar, to go and continue with the quran study, this time i came from Kano through Kaduna and Suleja, then lokoja i was very happy when i arrived in my former town, lokoja. it reminded me when as a child when a european used to be a primary school teacher, and we use to practice what we have studied during the school hour, although i went to Islamic school, but istarted writing alphabet right a way fro between my friends who go to missionary school, who ever can spel L O K O J A correctly, is the best among us, we even organise ourself as a soldiers or Boy scout, doing al sort of parade or what have you.This everything have changed. iam now a grown up and i am a policeman on leave want to travel across the niger river, i get to marine and i was given a first class ticket to sail to Shintaku.

SEARCHING FOR A JOB

When i and Ogwu started our journy to Kano in june 1976, from Dekina, it was my first time to know Ankpa, we arrived Makurdi late evening, and we could not continue to Kano, so we stop over at Mohammed Idakwoji's house in Makurdi, before the following day then we started our journy, i bought a ristwatch from Mohammed, he is a watch repearer.in the money we joined many other persenger travelling on BTC,[Benue transport company] to secure a ticket to Jos. later we pay our fare, and wait for one hour before we embus, the journny Makurdi to Jos took us around four-five hours, before we get a taxi cab from jos to kano on the the same day. Before now, travelling from Igala land to kano in the 70 was long process, but now you can start one morning to kano, through Zuba, Direct to Kano.

Industry, commerce&security

We started our mission, after my primary education i sucesseded into a private school in Ayangba,only that my parent cannot afford my school fees, then i and Ogwu Ajibili meet in Dekina, struggling for a job at the local level, meanwhile i am staying with an uncle the secretary in the minstary of health Ododo while Oguwu was staying with another man a trader both of us was looking for a job with the local government , one day we decided to live after we have tried for a job and cannot get any to go to kano, my Brother Isaac is a staff of IAS cargo airline while Ogwu 's inlaw was am staff of mNigeria hotel, both of us want meet our brother, the good news was ogwu's inlaw have given him his address but i, just see my brother in the almanac, so we both left Dekina to Kano

MORE TO BE EXPLOIT

The people of ugbedomagu are political minded they do not accept me to reprsent them and i was hoping some time my aid will come i talk with an uncle at Ejule market about my intending programme to my surprise after i returned home that very day in the night a news came to me that Ali ogohi is death o, my God! what nshall i do?, the following day i traveled to ejule befor i arrived His body was buried, and i sympathised with his familly , well i continue struggling. I cannot go back to maiduguri i do'nt even need to go i face up to the challenge squarly, returned to ubgedomagu atended the uda meeting untill i was appointed acting genaral  secretary one funny thing my boss have never seatdwn with me about the feuture of the ubgedomagu Developement association[ u d a] so that we will discuss the plan of action untill ban of politice was lifted.

IDAH DIOCESS

Sister Nora was in the meeting when i called to see her in Idah their project are similer to mine, The Idah diocess have contact with ugbedomagu people on agricultural project and have assisted the in aquire a tractor. The sample of maize i took to Kano , was my first mission and the reason Robin Story visited Ubgedomagu, since then the people relation with Nora had renewed, with hope that Vso have the same stuff. One morning they call ameeting, their agender is to rob mind together and sort way forward in the community, i was invited, the organiser of the meeting adressed the meeting and give the participants the opprtunity to contribute their qouter.It is time for you to take care of the developement of this town very seriousely, when it came to my turn to make a speach.your developement needs has be totally, on your soulder, and you owe yourselve the action to make a change for the better, if it come for to representing their complaint to the Government, Nuhu Ibrahim, did not see me worth to recon, iwhent to Ejule to meet late Ali Ogohi who have been in farming business for long so we schedule a day to meet but Ali ogohi died a later day.

UBGEDOMAGU DEVELOPEMENT ASSOCIATION

I arrived in Ubgedomagu with nothing to show, but a message, to the people, to organise themselves as a cooperative society, and work toward agricultural improvement, sound good you may say' i tay with my uncle while i determined to work on my father's farm. There the farmland once damaged by cattle i started clearing it,preparing for the planting, before the rain started i put the land together  and as soon as the rain started i begin cultivation, the land was not big enough to produce so plus of cash crops, but little as a demostration. by september i have harvested some of my maize and decided to take it to vso office in Kano

MY HOME OF BIRTH

Abocho, is my home of birth my mother's parent were living a one klm. Ofoda where i was born, my father then was living in Abocho, where my grandfather Achimugu is living as a traditional ruler, he  was respected, and often he were given a sort of communal assistant a whole of a villages from around Ojukpo and aroud came in troop to work on my grandfather's farm as a royality.I grew up here also before traveled to lokoja and later relocated at lokoja and atended the islamic primary school, during the 1967. I sewed timber at ofoda before i, was recriuted into the police force it hapened that the longest period i left Abocho only a fiew people can recognized me as i have grown into adulthood, but my familly still recongnizes me i was welcomed by brother, I told my about my mission, but he is very slow in respond and in his respond it is negative, suggesting that i should go to Ubgedomagu, in his reason Abocho land if not fertile and there are a lot of farmland in Ubgedomagu. so i, decided to go to ugbedomagu

Mr, Shuaibu Ogbadu in blessed memory, you aur children we expected you when ever you have returned give to your elder a welcome journny gift, o yes , my mission is about organisation, to meet the requirement to for assistance, i, said..Thank you he  replied, you can meet Atokolo Omonoji he is the chireman of the yougth. mr, Shuaibu is in an aged aroud 70 so to say, and at omonoji's house i meet him quite under a tree in his house , good afternoon, i greeted him, Thank you my boy , i explained my mission and he was lesting carefully, at the end of my introduction, he interven, you are one of the indegin so you  can do any good work you desired, most especially your senior Brother is one of the executive of the yougth.

Apart from loading the log and clearing the dust of the previouse work under the engine, there is is no much work at Ele ojo sawmil industry,The sales and the other clearical work was taken care by Wada Chapi a coshon who has be with my uncle and who i have work with befor i, joined the police, he too like back, and he is happy to see me again. what will happened, iam not going to stay becouse my mission is to set up agriculture i ndecided to go to Abocho, joined Mohammed who was going to Ayangba. Before get Abocho bus.

It was a dryseason and fire cought a bush and burnt everywhere including the forest, to me since this is my first experience that fire cougth forest and everywhere have burnt including bush animal, we gathered burnt animal including monkey, before we go to the timber , we roasted the animals and kept them near the fire to drying     while  we go on to falling the timber it a big huge log weigh about 200 cubit, and cut it in to a log for to be easy to carry, unfortnately among us no experienced, log loader all effort to carry the log onto the lorry was un sucessfull, and we have to returned to the sawmill with out any log, except the bush meat.

You will notice me always in the front cab of houstine, lorry. call ed abgigi,with an handcaciieve, seeing my country people, feel victorious How are you doing, in Igala language, Abenude? trough Ega to okenya, how are you doing become my slogan. there a huge machine , one for teariung timber there another one for designing furntures, etc. we left for asokpa, on aur ways we had an accident, a tanker was supplying water, on a corner when we brookout the corner the break of my driver failed instead of going directly to the tanker my driver cut off and landed in a three feet guter Thank God no one was hurt and no damage to the vehicle, we joined hand with the people and tanker driver and lift aur lorry after the tanker cleared we had a space and drived away.to asokpa.

COMMUNITY AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT

I went to Idah, i feel reliefed, my hope has started to rveal, my uncle Alhaji Abdulahi whom i left his company to join the police force have aquired more technology and have relocated to Okenya, Jibrin Mohammed has grown he has graduated i can have somebody to chat with i lodged with him in one bed room apartment of my uncle's newly upstair, my uncle was happy to see me again after i left him as his helper in his sawmill industry. How is police job Jibrin asked, well, is fine, but iam leaving the force , why? Jib as hen is called enquire, iam here now ton start a project; project? he asked , o' yes you sound funny, He begin to contribute to the chat, me' jib crack his troat, i' have just finished my secondry school, and my area of intrest is to aquire electronic knowledge, i wanted to be repear, electrical iorn and fan, your uncle have move to okenya, and he have aquired shopistcated, machine, in sawmilling.sudenly we are sleeping untill the calling to prayer. After prayer, i went to my uncles room, he was sseating on a rug with a copy of quran, he drop it to pay atention to me without any enquiry to how about the police work he told me be prepare to acompany others with a lorry to  bush to carry a log to the sawmil. and i apreciate it. My uncle seemed to understand my mission.

The first atempt at my project, surfered, a great disapointment, i left maiduguri soon after i had through with the state investigation department, I lookked at my time it was past two, so i suggested iam going to kano tonight, i, joined a bus from one of the motor park, and we arrived in Kano late, it is in evening and the office had closed by then , and i went to my uncle where i, passed night, the following the i went to vso's office, I successfully meet the field Director Robin Story. i, explained to him iam going to start my project. he wished me goodluck, and straight away to a motor park to my home From Dawano in kano i boarded a lory that did not speed may the driver was observing safty, so we came to kaduna late but we still go on ,travelling through night, and we arrived, Ajakuta, where i passed the nigt with my Brother who was a staff of Ajokuta steel company, unfortnately i could not locate my brother and having seen the danger associate with beign a stranger, do not want to ask anybody about my brother and luckly a car came and was going to Idah so i decided to go.

Begin at begining

I choosed to study english for one reason to enable counter speach or writing, becouse i am taken a writing couirse. To write a script,  my mind ran round, i did no think about popular article, rather my Topic, i said Okura state would atract publcity, and must be marketable as well. Look at my ist message to JG and Sara, you will discovered that am about to create a new story entirely, just like someone on his own trying to persuade the who are intrested in my script. So my writing will base on liasure, it is about people who want to get along with other, in a society where the truth is far a way from anybody who will found it , the Nigeria Name who made it he too, can bear me witness that Igala Native aouthority have exist. to create this state became a legistlative affair, I suspected that the previouse state creationwas base on who is who and not to restore people's losted glory. analist are saying okura state sould have it capital head quater at Anygiba, but that might be political motivation, if it is in Idah peharp aur colleque will support us build it, I view all tourist atraction of Idah and Ochadam investor will welcome my idea, by sponsor me to graduate first.