Ties That Bind - by Oluseyi Vandy

I was returning from an engagement, waiting for the bus to fill, being cooked by the sun (yay!! Global warming), a man enters, completing the number needed. He sits beside me and starts talking; you know when you feel the need to address a situation so it's less awkward when the thing eventually needs to happen? That's what I feel he was doing. He reaches into his bag and starts to talk to everyone and no one in particular. "I enter the bank o after long queue, see what they gave me as I asked to withdraw because they said there was no money," he takes out his hand from the bag and what I see is a full stack of 5 naira notes. "They did not allow me to withdraw the amount I wanted because no money, so I said N2k (N2,000) and this is what they gave me," he said. The driver at this point is still outside asking for his money before he begins the journey, my man calmly starts counting the stack just to pay him N200, and I fight the urge to laugh as my brain thinks 'even if na Monopoly' half expecting to hear "oya give me Piccadilly street" as he hands the money to the driver. To my surprise, the driver was calm while watching this man count and did not make a fuss when they handed the money over to him. He then enters the bus and we drive away as everyone starts discussing the situation of the nation. This triggered the idea for this write-up. I would, first of all, like to say that the reason Nigeria can not be denied, whether you love or hate us (minus our large number), is we are happy people at our core. The situation just brings out the version of the Nigerian you see at that point; jovial or angry from his soul. That aside, despite all the hardships and tragedy. The thing that binds people, especially a nation is Joy or Suffering. I can go in-depth and narrate a lot of things and cite examples, but when you see Nigerians watching World Cup with the Super Eagles taking part, despite their stumbles, you don't need a prophet to tell you that we don't hate each other as much as we will later claim, but also when you look at a time like this when the challenges are clear and seen by everyone, notice that a bus/car ride that may normally be silent with everyone looking at the road or their phones would be animated with people narrating their different experiences, with this comes those people that crack the most unexpected and dark humor no one could have prepared you for. When a tragedy hits on a scale that is more than normal, there is a general reminder of how fragile we are and this connects our humanity and being, irrespective of ideology, creed, or religion. The same way that Ahmed Musa cutting through the defense of our opponent with his lethal speed and placing the ball behind the net has everybody on their feet screaming. We should never forget that at the end of the day, we are humans first and Nigerians second. Your tribe should just be a thing that helps shape you and adds to your uniqueness, not a determinant of how you will treat people.

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