His Ungrateful Highness

Alahaji Musa Kee was the Secretary of Acheree local government in skiito State northern Nigeria. He hails from Acheree town too. In late 60s and early 70s, the town was second biggest city after the capital. 

    The town just passed as a quasi city simply because foreign companies, two in fact set their base there. In fact, they were the only foreign firm to have ever set their base there and the foreign workers then, were the foreigners to have ever threaded on the soil to date.

Cocoa cola and one Italian agricultural firm. None before and none after to date.

Outside the two, nothing that makes a city a city exist there. No outsider was surprise, only few indigenes that were appalled by what their people were up to.

The land was a stony and hilly lot. The market square which act as center of the town was usually agog at night with about three hundred young, illiterate and able men you wouldn't know where there are emerging from, parading around with swords hanging on their shoulders. It’s part of their culture and fashionable to them too.

The workers at the two firms both foreign and local comes from the capital which is about an hour drive from the capital. The culture, mentality, nature of the land didn’t allow modernization to take root there. The town was full of mud houses, myopic masses and crazy rulers.

Attempt by the government and the two firms to tar the road resulted in the wastage of millions of naira in five months. 

Cracks started appearing on the side of the tarred road after four months of declaring it open. On the fifth months, the combination of chemicals on the soil, stones that appears to be growing magically and daily chipping of the bitumen by unseen forces returned the road to it original state.

The weather there hovers around 48 degrees and the masses mental health hovers around the same degree towards madness too. Both sent the millions spent on the construction of the road to the dustbin. 

While the white owners of the companies were contemplating building schools to educate “these creatures” like one stupefied white man put it, Alahaji Musa was suggesting building prisons. At the end, the white man policy prevailed.

      They set out building primary and secondary schools. If you had seen the schools on completion, you would have thought that you are in tertiary institutions. Complete with bore holes, dormitory that would accommodate about 40 percent of the students estimated to number about 1k, equipped with modern bunk beds, desks and books.

Then, enrollment was hovering between Zero and five. They were ten in total in the primary school there, five of which came from capital. The five that were indigenous usually resort to disappearing act. Today here, tomorrow absence.

The indigenes refused to release their kids from the farm works, others that has words of their own smiled the idea away.

The education campaign mounted by the local government and the state government amounted to nothing.

The day the white guys suggested to the town Amir to convert the school to girls school since the the boys and their parents prefers farm to education was the day their companies demise started. 

     They gathered the town people at the market square one morning with a promise of free drink that the pull was stronger to that of the farm and cows. When the local government staffs have spoken enough and made way for the foreigners to speak and there was no sign of or mention of the drink they came with, the young men started fingering their swords and shaking their legs. 

The white guys that were not in the habit of taking unnecessary risk understood the message which the local government staffs don’t even hear or show any sign of seeing, decided to share the drinks against the advice of the local government staffs. 

The Amir was the first to speak after downing a bottle of cocoa cola. 

“Em, if you’re after students for the school, why not shift them from the other towns or city. Over here, the girls don’t go to schools, it makes them stupid and talkative. So, our answer is no”

“ Our answer or your answer?” the white man asked.

The Amir rose in anger with face clouding with anger. He starred at the white man for a long time while the whole arena stood standstill. He sat again while eyeing the white man still. 

“ When I talk, no one challenges. This first time, your sin is forgiven. Try it again, your sins would be remembered. I speak on behave of my people. So, my decisions are always final. Even you as a foreigner, once in this town, must follow my orders. Do I make my self clear?”

“ Your highness, no one is challenging anyone’s authorities. It important we know where each families stand on this issue. A lot was spent on building those schools”

“ Whether you spend billions don’t concerns anyone here. I and my subjects have reached decision and that is final. Once again for your good, don’t talk when I am talking”

“ certainly your highness. What I tried to say is that it would benefit your domain and the kids.”

“ Benefits how?, so because I didn’t pass through school, do you think I am stupid?, you people are invaders, if something better is not here, you would not have come to set up your non-sense companies and schools here to deceive us. We are still studying to know the real reason you are wasting your money here.”

The white man face clouded. And it is obvious he was controlling himself with effort.

“Em, your highness, you gave land to us to build those schools, what was in your minds then?”

“ To know why actually you are here. You don’t dwell among us, complaining bitterly when your nonsense road and black thing you poured on top got tampered with and yet, you spent more and expect me to believe that something is not amiss, right?”

The white guy was boiling but better sense made him to control himself. The Italians were the ones that were finding it difficult to control themselves.

“ Excuse me Mister, what actually is going on here?, why are preventing these kids from seeing the light?”

“Light?, you think we are in darkness. Let me tell you, our Allah given light never goes down, we even have Hurricane lamps to support it. But wait, you are that Italian man our stupid Musa Kee brought here to convert our youths to that your Christi or whatever you call that man. It will not work. Your plans are emerging and it is very good it is coming from you. You and your musa must leave this town for us alive or….”

“ Your highness, no one wants to convert any one. Secondly, I have not brought any one for it is state project. Above all, this is for our good. Some of the utterances here is equally more reasons our youths should start school to know their left from their right”

“ Don't dare you insult me. I won't mind whether you are son of the soil or not. If you have forgotten your manners due to that your education, our youths won't toe that line too. Do you hear me?”

“ Your highness, I am sorry if you misinterpreted my speech. I really mean that it is….’

“ Yeah, you would be more than sorry soon.”

The weather started changing as they were arguing. The rain without warning started pouring down in droves. The youths don’t even wait for permission from the Amir and rushed the remaining drinks to the chagrin of the whites who themselves rushed their cars and went rushing towards the capital. 

Alahaji Musa Kee eyeing them and overhearing their murmuring knew that it was ‘cest fini' for his community stood there while rain and tears pour down his cheeks.