Determination At The Root Of It All

They are known by what they achieved and way it was achieved. By nature, or act of gods, people from this tribe don’t really know that government exist. No. not that they don’t know, they do know after all they take part in election campaigns where some receive popcorns and sachet waters and shits like that to cast their votes on the Election Day for popcorn slingers. What they don’t know, rather don't care to know is the functions of the popcorn throwing government or duty of the government to the masses, so, they do what they will do for themselves and do what government supposed do for the masses too. They wait for no one and when government extend hands, they welcome it with embrace but, it's rare. 

The people of Umuifu from this Ikaa tribe isn't exception to the norms. They develop their town to the best of their capacity and best of this capacity is always what differentiate one town from the other. People can only contribute according to their capacity and when few has wealth, it means resources for development is usually poor, lean. The speed and the rate development occurs is not uniform. Some are poor to compare to their neighbors. In Umuifu, to compound things, there is this subtle religious politics going in there that many with time, don't realize any longer it exist. As usual, with time, evil even become tradition if not pointed out and checked. 

Catholics and Anglicans are exerting pull that is hampering the development of the town. Catholics as usual outnumbered the Anglicans and eager to utilize that advantage at every opportunity. In villages and town issues, they make their numbers tell. To think that some important issues were decided on that aspect instead of what best suit the interest of the town did not go unnoticed to many. But as usual, people flowed along. 

The method of selecting the town rulers and village leaders, all leaned on that religious line. Ways things are built: Clinics, town halls and schools were all leaning towards religious affiliation never on town's interest. Some sound people knew that yes, their town is not endowed with many wealthy individuals but corruption wrapped in religion is hampering the speed of the development and correct project allocation of the few resources available. “Others are running, Umuifu is crawling” became the new song, new mantra of many progressives in the town.

Mr. Charles Okoye is an Anglican gentle man that served the pastor posted in his parish when he was in primary school. When the pastor and his family was transferred out of local government area, the man had carried him along and from that time till he became a man, not many things were known of him outside that he lived with a pastor while young and that he was sent to Trinidad and Tobago to school by the friends of the pastor.

It was a running joke in the village whenever the issue of the guy and the country he was in is raised.

It is like: Trinidad and what.. Tobacco? People will burst out laughing. The family was getting by from the little money he sent from Tobacco nation after staying there for about ten years. He was not remembered, not counted. When the family started clearing two and half plots of land at wrong season, people started asking questions and suddenly, he was remembered and questions asked.

 Building of mansion and story of Charles in Tobacco started getting special attentions and story of relocation with his family back to the country crossed his village borders to others.

 When condition changes, it’s like pregnancy. Try as you can to disguise it, it prefers to shout. Wealth is like that and Mr. Charles family was like that too. Their changed condition was shouting, skipping and Catholics were not deaf or blind to it. Levies needed to be extended to the family. Their condition have changed, so their loyalty to the village and town need to do so too.

The Parents and Siblings has already excuses for what they know is coming. “He will come back with his family, when he comes, he will pay you and more. We are only custodian of what did not belong to us”

That was their line. Custodian of what did not belong to us and yet, all in that family since a year plus seems to be getting younger and fatter while others are getting older and Shriner. “Is it water they had been drinking?” one man had spitted out in frustration on one meeting occasion.

Those rated as richest, it took them almost a year to finish their one storey building and yet, this unseen Charles took six months to erect two storey building. Villagers keep records of this kind of wealth related issues in their memory. All around that Etiti village knew about record and story spreads. When borehole was added to the building and tap erected outside the compound wall for the villagers to come and fetch for free, The whole town became aware and all waiting for Charles to appear.

 On 20th of December, one harmattan evening, he did appear at appointed month and date. December 20th like Jesus and the waiting was over. The whole town was buzzing like bees when convoy lined up on a single road that led into Umuifu town towards Okoye’s family.

Spectacular was not appropriate word to be used. Tobacco Charles is back was the new mantra. To think that not even many knew him well in the village will tell you when he died. The image of him in few adults minds was not what stood before them even though the voice remained the same. What was before them was a mature man of thirty-eight years with clean shaven face and well developed muscles on height most of village girls salivate openly on.

He was stormed to see the snail progress the town have made since his departure almost twenty-five years ago. He had not believed when his brother told.

 “What happened?” he had asked his parents and siblings after visitors that had gathered as if president visited left.

Village meeting was shifted backwards to two days and many with written questions and request waiting for Mr. Charles to appear.

He took a day before the meeting day to tour the town with his entourage motorcycle to experience his old abode that has special place in his mind. Surprised he was still able on his mind eyes to know certain places.

The meeting ended in shouting and threat. The village leaders had anticipated their opportunity to enrich themselves no matter how tiny for they know that the town was also waiting for him. They were surprised when the man they wanted to cage was the one caging them with his questions and insight. Frustration set in and some elders lost their heads and the man stormed out of the meeting with warning for them to steer clear of his house unless they were invited.

  “Animals, how can you be taxing a man that doesn’t exist for twenty-five years. Where does nonsense like that happen?”

From that December to April, he formed the habit of attending events he was not invited within and beyond his town and supporting them with hefty donations and promises that surprised many. The elders were wondering if something else is behind his moves. Hate the elders and love the youths seems to be his mantra. That preference did not escape the notice of the youths both Anglican and Catholics and the edge the elders have on him was breached within months and created a chasm among them and the youths.

  Lake Iruka, surrounded by rocky lands on one side, forest on the other with one Lane Road that passed on it. The bridge was colonial built and Charles knew it survived to date due the poverty of the people. Had enough vehicles been plying it, it would carved in. It was built in 1934 according to history passed down by mouth. No written record any where.

When Mr. Charles bought those rocky lands and the forest on both side of the lake two months after his return, the Catholics decided it is time for serious question and answer session with the Tobacco guy. The summon for him to appear before them was met with excuse written in two typed pages of paper. They sent people to his house to tell him he had no right to buy the lands near the lake that the union has plans for it since five years.

His answer was local government surveyors coming with their equipment to measure the place and systematic hiring of youths from every village to go and cut the grasses and clear rocks there. The poor youths descended on the forest with naked greed and did a work they secretly compete against each others villages to be the best and when more hands were hired from the same villages to level the rocks, even kidnapping was hinted upon in the open meeting by some elders and some youths from each village took it upon themselves to read the minutes of the meeting to him as delivered to them by their parents intentional and unintentionally. 

   From him, the youths heard he wanted to turn the place into resorts and build a hotel there and according to him, it will be his gift to the town that gave him birth. But on one condition only. The present leaders has to go from village level to town level and constitution of the town changed.

   “As you can see, it is hampering development and preventing you youths from advancing like other town youths. Other towns people will be coming to our town to enjoy the resort, if I can see an enough land, to buy, I will build a mini stadium too were the youths of each village will be competing against themselves for a monetary rewards each holiday”

  Two days later, the youths of the town that have formed a kind of town union of their own sent people to tell him that they have found enough land for the mini stadium.

He followed the purchase of the land up with meetings to widen the town roads and develop the two market place they have along side his plans to renovate the old schools in the town and add more school to the few in existence.

He had not told them that all the money for this were not from his personal pocket only his personal effort were behind the money. Years before his return, he cornered most of the influential people in the UN regional office he worked in Trinidad and Tobago Capital, telling them of his plans for his poor people and how the weight of the whole town depended on him.

 “Help me not to disappoint this people and they will never forget” line he finalized his appeal with.

Few influential people had personal went on individual fund raising in their different nations to raise the money at the root of the change in Umuifu town. Trusting that Mr. Charles they knew for long is honest enough to be trusted with ten million dollars and that was amount at the revolutionary changes in interior town of Umuifu many contributors of the money have no plan of ever visiting.

He is intelligent enough to know that many elders are not as stupid as their words were but only operating as they had known from birth how things were done. Plotted with youths secretly to organize meeting in the name of pursuing lasting peace between them and Mr. Charles. 

 The men of the families were having problems with their wives and kids and the manner the fathers are being consigned to the back bench in their various families, villages and the town did not escape Mr. Charles. Time to lend a dignify escape hands to them.

    Work was going on all over the town from one village to another. All has the impact of Mr. Charles deeply ingrained in them one way or the other. The town hall was not missed and two hospitals to be well equipped were being constructed at the same time new constitution was being drafted and new ways of electing town leaders from the king and his cabinets to the village leaders is on. The whole town was full of masquerades of workers courtesy of MrCharles'ses idea from day one. He wanted the million to achieve not only structural changes but comprehensive ones that touch the core of the backwardness of the people. Humans themselves.

It was like an earthquake, lightning, and tsunami hit the town of Umuifu at the same time, everyone had work that tied him or her for almost two years plus in the town even some from neighboring towns as illiterate as most were not only enlightened in the way of office workers most hear of only, they all experienced it first hand. From coming to work punctually, to dressing up and wearing caps or tying any clothes on the head to wearing a mask. Umuifu was a masquerade town for two years. Mr. Charles set out from day one to educate them on how salary serves their earners. Before employing anyone, there was a hierarchy of order in every level of work and the leaders were sternly asked to be mean on all issues about the work from addressing the workers to dressing and arriving and leaving. Office way only.

It was signing the agreement first then orientation and other educational-related addresses before you go to work.

 Many had to be told how salaries are paid, when it is paid, and how to use them to carry them to the next payday. Every illiterate in the town became quasi-literate within two years.

 He knew most will jump into it thinking that they are into buying and selling where money flows around unchecked and unaccounted for and anyone can come and go at will or start bantering.

He set out from day one to recondition their heads intentionally hence the systematic hiring from each village and the idea behind concentrating the whole project at the same time and making sure that at least seventy-five percent of each family from each village were. Working at various sites.

Those selling eating things in the markets turned out unplanned to be grandparents in their late sixties and seventies for all below sixty-five were earning salaries, waking up early to prepare for work, organizing their kids and sharing, dividing cores among the kids whose lifestyle was not spared by the Mr. Charles tsunamis.

Imagine the revolution of ten million in that African interior community for almost two years. 

Within a year of observing the effect of his master plan on the head of the workers and their families, he smiled and smirked for a long time to the chagrin of many wondering If all is well.