Noah's Day

   The room is not all that spacy. The screen that was behind the lady of about twenty-four or five wearing what they call spaghetti attire that exposed all the lines that crisscrossed her shoulders. Her attire encountered what was coming out of her mouth. The meteorologist department seems to pay more attention to hiring beautiful girls and decorating their base with modern gadgets to hiring intelligent staffs was saying: "weather being freezing mad this evening, the trees are going to shake, and, leaves shiver. The air is going to be frigid and chilly, and it is going to remain that way for about eight hours, there might be little snowing to follow the cold weather. You need to cover yourself from head to the toe.

Pneumonia is real, dangerous and fatal sickness"

The image of westerners and their winter attire walking up and down, covered the screen. " you are to dress that way and drink a lot of warm water or tea. Whichever you have. We hope that hospitals are taking notes and know what drugs to stock" she was saying but almost all those who follow the weather report on TV were laughing their heads off and smirking nonstop. 

     To think that many believed she was joking and bantering like most do in front of the camera these days. Even the lady shook her head and smirked, adding: " Can't wait to witness this historic event happening in my lifetime added. Her reactions and the way she rounded off her show made more people laugh and believe it was April Fool at work in November's first week. 

The radio weather announcements that were almost none existence were reporting what the meteorological department said in a bantering way. " We are asked to tell you and that is what we are doing, telling you to go out and buy winter clothes if they exist in the market near you and If not, buy a normal sweater and then, go sit in your palor and drink a lot of warm water. Almost all the radio stations in the country were reporting it in a bantering way. Not a single one took it fifty percent seriously. 

   Who can ever blame the people, the so-called common man in the street? Since heaven created the world, they had never heard of winter and snow in Africa. Why today? Many were laughing, at their hilarious best. Since hearing jokes, not one equals this one. November is the harmattan period, it's cold weather season everyone knows this and most of the parents their health isn't in order have been covering from head to toe on sweaters. So, covering in November isn't news to any one. Educated who believed that the weather girl joke had gone too far and saw themselves as educated, mature, and serious-minded, went on the offensive. a public services should not be a place to cast jokes. They sent warnings to the management and authorities, admonishing that the staffs must know and recognize all the warning lines in their profession and know what each stands for and many rounded their seriousness warning off by reminding them to behave themselves for foreigners are among us. " Stop belittling this nation for ten minutes glory" they said.

       Even though she is in the sector she is supposed to be in, she is in the wrong department. She should be in drama, comedy, and stand-up shows, department. Not serious places like news departments and public service places. Nay.

Opinions were flying here and there from illiterates and the educated. Weather report that doesn't have a five percent audience in the Nigeria suddenly have up to eight-five percent population eyes glued to the TV sets where they see the best entertainment coming from that period.  

They were all expecting the girl to appear with her spaghetti attire again while joking about cold weather and snow in the heart of Africa. It was another lady that appeared in what you would only see in some parts of China and Russia. The thickness of her attire alone elicited a hell of uproar from people and before they would recover from their laughter, women had delivered her message sixty percent. The manner she went about delivering the news and the moves the government was making all over the country sent confusing signals to the people. 

The government had directed each state and local government leaders to have emergency meetings with all the traditional rulers in their states and inform them about the seriousness of what was being said and the calamity that might result if not taken seriously. When thousands were remitted, detailed announcements were made in various towns and all advised on what was expected of them. Many started getting confused not yet believing that it isn't way for the government to embezzle money as usual. 

     Many still not buying the information from government and town leaders. Many sellers of Cardigans were not seeing the sales they had anticipated from all the ruckus going on even though they didn't believe what they were hearing.

But, they want turn overs. this kind of announcement drives sales, still, they believe that someone related to the government at the federal level has imported container liner full of sweaters.

The people still acknowledge as the day wears off that the weather is certainly changing and getting colder. Breathing is certainly getting harder. Their speeches turned from snow never fall in history of africa to the weather never get cold this way in history. And still, many were fighting the changing clouds with alcohol, not warm waters and teas they were told.

Spirits and beer saw high sales. "weather in Harmattan, it should be this way" many were arguing. "But it has never been this cold before" The voice debunking the weather report were louder and longer in argument to those trusting information coming from radio, TV, and the meteorological department. 

Funny, the weather kept turning colder and the liquor and beer palors started closing on time and, streets getting emptier and emptier over time.

Yet, many used to late night, roam the streets searching for dealers like them who are acting like the people of the Noah time, denying it till too late.

Despite the radio, town criers, and TV shouting on top of their voices every five minutes, people wave them all aside. Roaming, searching for greedy dealers to pass time in their liquor palors.

Not long afterwards, flasks started dropping and, liquor and beer not doing the work anymore, the dealers started closing in high numbers and hurrying home. White flasks continued to fall and cover everywhere like icing on cakes to the astonishment of many who stationed themselves in their windows and verandas watching the amazing site unfolds. Dogs continued to bark and babies cry nonstop, and white paints continued to fall and paint everything white.

   Luckily, the government had ordered the electricity suppliers to keep light 24 hours in case of emergencies and ordered ambulance stations at ready. Civil defense teams, alongside vigilante groups were asked to be unduty and alert to serve and render help if needed. 

Some speaking nonstop were joking among themselves that Harmattan elder brother paid them an unexpected visit. The news of the visit was known but to some, it was: We heard of the visit but rated it as the wishes of those that forget Africa has reason only heaven could tell for being Africa and were wishing for western weather and life lifestyle. No one took their announcement seriously.

Stories started going around that some town leaders sent emissaries to their Oracles, traditional healers, and deities demanding to know what their sins were and restitution for them. It was a chaotic and highly disorganized society.

Blankets, sweaters, warm waters, smoke, human mannequin figures, and, teas were common sights in each building's windows and verandas. Shivering mopping figures in every building.