Too Many Uprooting

Mr. Tony, the source of the grapevine news among his fellow staff of the sanitation department of the Oji local government area. The people are known for the moniker the public gave them after the civil war that has stuck since then. ‘The two-faced guys'

Fifty percent of them from the daylight road sweeping team, well clothed in matching uniforms in daylights sweeping the roads double as night soil men in the cover of darkness. At their own health risk, some women, as warned by the local government leaders, are even allowed to work among these night group workers.

Tony, a man of extraordinary strength that can handle three or four different types of jobs a day and still appear from nowhere early in the morning, walking straight and ready for action, is the man none in that sanitation department ever fucks with or anything that comes from him. And that respect has nothing to do with violence or threat of nonsense kind.

Each day after daylight sweeping a session of roads and picking litter from other public places, acting as drivers to some big guys and still joining the night soil group to do the two-faced job as many called them here in Onitsha city. They gather in the staff room each day, waiting for the night or rain to do their part of driving many homes for them to do theirs and close their day.

Most staff of many departments always learn of anything that concerns them a month or two before it becomes officially announced in the general meeting or from the notice board courtesy of Mr. Tony, the old soldier, as his colleagues call him. Three years ago, he had entered the staff's room one afternoon where his mates, some having showered and about to call it a day while those two-faced guys were waiting it out and called out to them in his trademark way and brokered the news, which most of them still regards as bad afternoon to date.

 “We are in trouble, serious one, guys” Many in the general area and those in the offices, on hearing that voice, had hurried to hear the latest. When it comes from Old Soldier, there is no doubt it. Gloomy faces stared at him from all four corners to hear the bad news.

“ The feds have come out with what they call an operation to keep Nigeria clean and hygienic, which they have instructed every state government to map out a plan to implement starting from the next four weeks. They are about to phase out all the bucket toilets and mandate every landlord to build a water system, which you see in movies, within four weeks starting from two weeks today or they will build that for the person and charge him.”

“ What are the implications of such a move for us?” one financially strained staff asked.

“ It means that our night runs will be history, and so is the pay and remunerations that come from it. Probably some of us might be history as the staff here too. I am not sure about it well enough, so there is no cause for panic now or later. Just not to be taken unaware. There is talk to see if they will attach most of us in night runs into other departments if we become surplus to requirements as sweepers, but governments of Africa are governments of Africa. Too much talking, opposite action or no actions even. Once you are not useful, they kick you out of their paybooks, records and grounds. So, try to start as precautions to see if you will easily switch to any other sector if worse comes to worst.”

“ Can't you find out from your contacts up there the true nature of our fate for us?”

“ It doesn’t work that way. Become Snoopy; they will add your name to their black books and observe you. That’s not what I want from anyone up there. But, I will still, in my ways, try to see if I can find out where they stand on our issues in that regard.”

“ But why can't they shift everyone to the sweeping section?”

“Haven’t you been observing the age bracket of all in that section?- they are all under thirty-five. No one in his forty is on that list, so some of us in our forties and fifties don’t stand a chance unless we live up to their promise of compensating those on the night runs for decades.”

Heavy brooding all around. Their faces took shapes and colours of the defeated. Tony decided to allow them to their thoughts for some minutes. Most of the folks in his departments are illiterate and needed to look after and direct like kids to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads. He doesn’t want to see many of those night-soiled guys and gals thrown out with the arrival of this new water nonsense they are vibrating about up there. He excused himself, went to the water dispenser area to take a drink and was surprised to notice that for two weeks, it was installed. Plastic cups in packets and dustbins were placed on top of the can and beside the dispenser, yet, no cup had been put into the Dustin bin beside it, And almost eighty percent had been drinking from it since. From what he can see, the one plastic cup he saw on top of the dispenser had been used by almost all the staff that have taken water from there for two weeks. He shakes his head at their timidity and seems to wonder how they will be able to handle this new toilet system, being hyped with all eagerness by the powers that be.

The people are too poor not only in their pockets but in their heads. These people use newspapers to wipe their asses without washing their hands afterwards due to water rationing by the water cooperation and the poverty status of the many in the city.

  How are they going to flush the shits away after each visit?

He was lost in that thought, trying to know if the authorities could be convinced to start a pilot test with some sections of the city first, especially the poor areas, to see how hygienic and easy the people would adjust to before shifting to rich areas. Kids' play will not be the transition from newspapers to toilet rolls in a month. Many things and systems must block, and different night runs seem inevitable, at least in this early transition stage. He was still in his thoughts when he heard his name being called. He looked to see his colleagues gathered for the second half of the unofficial meeting.

“You mentioned the water system; how will they clear it afterwards? We still have to do that part, right.”

 He shakes his head silently to their ignorance while making sure that his shaking of the head and twist on his face are saying the same things. Not the right moment to annoy anyone or make them start thinking mundane nonsense.

“ No. There is a special car that does a better job of that than humans. They call it a sucker-away car. Instead of being gathered in buckets, the excrement is now deposited in a hole dug behind or beside each building. We are not needed anymore.”

“We can convert to drivers then. Will the government hire new people when most of us can drive?”

“Government might buy those cars to raise money, not providing services for individuals who are now mainly allowed to buy and manage those cars. What services are out of our hands for four weeks.”

Everyone went to his corner brooding, and they were still at it when night duty called, and a different attitude followed them out the door that night.