“Common 50 naira”

“Is it not common 15 naira pen?”

“Just to go to market you cannot go”

“Is it because I borrowed your jacket I won’t hear word”

“Just because of a book you are disturbing my life”

I’m sure all these must sound familiar. People say these things because they feel it is “just this or that” or it is “common”.

So on Friday on my way back home from work, I took keke napep (tricycle) to follow a particular route and normally, that costs 100 naira. If you stop at the junction where the keke is supposed to turn, it’s 50 naira. So basically, if keke turns, it’s 100 naira and if keke doesn’t, it’s 50 naira (that’s the simplest way I can explain it).

We were approaching that particular junction and the keke driver was not making any attempt to turn. So we passed it and I told the keke driver to stop, “Oga, where you dey go? I thought you were turning”. He started saying he thought I was going straight, blah blah blah. I then told him I’m coming down. I was so angry and I gave him money (100 naira). He was not making any attempt to bring any change. I then said “is it not 50 naira?” he started murmuring, I just left him.

I was thought about the whole thing as I was trekking the rest of the journey (which was annoying BTW). I was really angry because at the end of it, I spent 100 naira and I was still trekking. It really didn’t make sense.

If I had argued with the keke driver, it would have caused a scene, people would come around. At the end, they will find out that we are quarreling because of 50 naira. What people will say is “big girl like you, you are quarreling because of common 50 naira”.

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So, common 50 naira. The 50 naira might be “common” but at the time, it is so much. The pain is not really the 50 naira. What was painful was the fact that I didn’t achieve anything, yet I lost an extra 50 naira.

I also thought about other circumstances. For example, your friend Kay, asks you to give her 1000 naira that she needs it for a pressing issue and you will get your money the next day or so.

So the next day you saw Kay but she didn’t bring up the fact that she is supposed to give you money. You wait the next day and the next and the next, still no show. So after a week you ask Kay for your money. Kay said she would give you tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes and Kay keeps posting you. Before you know it, there’s a friction between yourself and Kay because of 1000 naira. One day, you ask Kay for it again and Kay is like, “Why are you disturbing me? Just because of 1000 naira, common 1000 naira, I will not hear word”. Kay then becomes so rude and insults you.

One thing Kay never realized is that when she really needed that 1000naira, it seemed like a million naira. Another thing Kay failed to realize is that you have planned for that 1000naira but decided to give Kay based on her words.

What am I saying?

People are fast to dismiss things as common or easy without realizing that it is not as common or as easy as they think. The funny thing is they do it in such a way that they now become the victim.

This is wrong and people should learn to appreciate things and stand by their words. If someone gives you their pen to use and says when you are done, you should give them, please do.

Without them stating you return it, courtesy demands you return it. It’s not when the person is asking you for pen you will be like “just because of pen, I won’t hear word”. If the person had refused to give you, you will say the person is wicked. Now the person gave you, to return it is a problem.

Sometimes I really don’t blame people for the decisions they have taken. It might make them seem wicked but they did it based on their experiences. For example, those that don’t collaborate with their friends in businesses or those that don’t lend their friends money. What of those that give you their things and stress that you return it?

The truth is, they have reasons for all these. Let’s learn to do what’s right and be considerate too.

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