Na wetin Nnamdi talk as e dey pack im bag.
Nnamdi dey among di lucky ones wey see road leave dis awa country. E no easy but Nnamdi show sey him sef no easy. Di waka wey e don waka to take travel no be am.
To travel na dream wey all of us for street dat year bin dey dream about. E get one tin wey dem dey talk for TV. Na wetin I dey use ginger mysef wen tins dey look as if e no go work—by hook or by crook. Sometimes I dey forget am but once I remember like dis, my bodi go just calm down becos I sabi sey no haw no haw, I go still leave dis country. Na just di time wey we neva sabi. No be option. Na must! Make yu sef see as tins be. We don too suffer. I believe sey after persin don too suffer, na must sey di persin go enjoy small. Even if na long time persin gat wait. Last-last, e go reach my turn.
Nnamdi don dey try for many years to find visa go yankee. Notin wey im do bin work for am. Three weeks ago, Nnamdi talk sey one of im friend don show am di way. Nnamdi na sharp guy. E no dey tey for am to sort out imsef. I ask am sey make e share di OT wit me, make me sef join bodi. E talk sey I no get liver. Me? I get liver die.
“Obinna, dis tin eh… no be everybodi fit do am.”
“Nnamdi, try me nau. Yu sef sabi sey I fit do anytin once I decide sey I go do am. Show me way nau.”
“Hmm, my brother. No be every way be way o. As I dey so, my mind no dey touch ground. Dis tin no easy, but yu sabi haw tins be. I gat leave dis place sharp-sharp.”
I don hear of people like us wey don use different-different ways to komot dis awa country. Di latest one wey I hear na people wey go dey hide for under aeroplane. Haw dem enter di airport o, haw dem sabi sey place dey wey dem fit hide, haw dem even gather mind stay dat kain place for di long time wey e take dem to reach obodooyibo, na only God sabi. My own mind no go let me do dat one. I too dey fear.
Nnamdi dey try tell me sey make I reason anoda side, maybe dat one go work. “See ehn, yu fit try run dis yahoo tin. But no be yahoo like di normal one. Yu go just dey follow woman talk, make she like yu. Once she don begin dey like yu, she fit talk sey make yu come visit am. Or if oil dey yor head, yu fit tell am sey yu wan marry am. She go help yu get visa once una marry. After wedding like dis, yu go just carry bag waka. Yankee na big place. She no go find yu.”
“Omo, dis one make sense small o, but I go dey feel one kain. Yu sabi sey I be better persin. To do dat kain tin go hard me… anoda way must dey.”
Na so Nnamdi vex, “Yu too dey do! Ahn-ahn, na only yu get conscience? My guy, if yu no ready to make sacrifice, make yu siddon for yer continue to dey suffer. Yu tink sey us wey we dey do all dis kain tin, we like am? If we get option, we go do am? Forget all dat one joor. Oyinbo wey fall for persin online na mumu. No be yor fault. Everybodi go benefit, shikena!”
As e talk dat one, I gentle. Na true im talk. We be men wey no get option, and hu no get option no fit dey select. Na di one we see we go collect.
Na dat day Nnamdi tell me haw im dey plan to japa. E talk sey e meet some guys wey just arrive from Malaysia. Dem be guys like us wey see chance run, go der go make am, turn big boys. And now dem dey find people wey go follow dem as dem dey go back. But di tin no really gel for my mind. Wai persin go just want help oda people just like dat? One tin wey me I sabi be sey, notin for dis life na free. Yu gat drop sometin to pick anoda one. E be like say Nnamdi see sey na wetin I dey reason be dat, becos im kon drag my ear dey talk small-small. “My brother, to go wit dese guys-dem, we gat just help dem carry small load… no be big tin. Make we just carry di load go Malay. From der, dem go collect am from awa hand. E don finish. We don japa be that.”
“Wetin be di tin? Wai dem no fit carry am by diasef?”
Nnamdi look round before im talk di next one. He dey even do one kain before im talk am.
“Err… na just drugs. Na just small one.”
I shout blood of Jesus before Nnamdi put im hand for my mouth, sey make I no loud am. E talk sey na wai e no want tell me. E for better if e no talk am.
I sabi sey I talk sey I want japa but dis one pass me o. True-true, e pass me. I don too hear stori of people wey dem catch. Na kpai dem kpai dem o. Or di ones wey di tin go burst for dia belle. God forbid bad tin!
I tell Nnamdi sey I no fit do am. I wish am all di best. As for me, na Naija I go remain. I no fit go die for yankee. True-true, no be every way na way.
Writer: Itseme Akede; Illustrator: Oritseshemaye Onakpoya
