CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Lagos, Nigeria

The Murtala international Airport, Ikeja, Lagos is one of Nigerian largest and most important airports. It was name after the country’s charismatic and most effective leader since independence, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. The airport is one of the busiest in the country given its location in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest economic city. It consists of a domestic and international terminal, located about one kilometer from each other and both share the same runaways with the international terminal modeled after Amsterdam Airport, it was top on the list of the busiest airports in Africa.
An ARIK airline landed at the domestic terminal few minutes after three in the afternoon and the passengers piled out one after the other, among them a sleeping looking Colour, an alert Ken Solomon and an excited looking Chambers who beamed at everything on sight. They made their way among other passengers towards the terminal. Ken Solomon was very alert watching every movement around him with a sense of alertness. He had read so much about the famous airport and its reputation of notorious fraudsters and other criminal elements that come in disguised. His suspicious mind imagined some of the faces around as one of the criminals who had swindled him now watching his movement. This people could be more dangerous than he had earlier conjured. If they could sit down somewhere here, manipulated his brain, and sucked him out of his money, then they could as well know his movement. He concluded as they move towards the exit counter in the crowded terminal.
They took a taxi straight to the Balcony Hotel, where KS had insisted this time, he rather be held hostage inside a famous hotel right now than in an obscured place. He told himself and then asked Colour to arrange things as usual; this was a shift from their earlier plan to stay in a comfortable obscure hotel. All the same Colour called the hotel and made reservations through online booking in the five star hotel.
This was a delighted change of arrangement to Chambers who beamed with smile all the way from the airport all through their arrival at the Balcony hotel, Ikeja. It was actually one of the happiest moments in his life. He wished this sudden rich adventure in his life would never end. Although only he knew he was lying at the moment, things could fall in his favour as they move through the days. He reasoned as he sat quietly beside the driver inside their posh private operated taxi amid the song of Lagbaja ‘Gra-Gra’ from the car stereo.
Ken Solomon on the other hand was busy admiring the bustling life of Lagos, the high-rise buildings, the lagoon and the visible slums dotting the landscape like scattered garbage.

‘’ You know what?’’ He finally asked a thoughtful looking and sleepy Colour.

‘’What?’’ Colour yawned and then stared sleepily at him

‘’ If not for the massive corruption and fraudulent activities that your country is notorious with, I tell you this: you have one of the most captivating and lively cities in the world.’’ KS announced in his cynical grin.

Colour stared quietly at him as KS rattled on. ‘’ I noticed your people taste for big beautiful mansions right from Abuja, down to Kaduna and here in Lagos. But unfortunate, just big beautiful empty houses guarded by slums.’’ KS told him mockingly.

‘’ What do you mean, this is Lagos.’’ Colour defended and sat up to admired the fast moving lives of commuters across the ever busy and ever lively Lagos roads.

‘’ Yes, I noticed the big signpost and the bold statement everywhere, but why encouraged the slums to remain around these multi-billion naira structures? Why inject millions of naira on a big house when you cannot sacrifice just few naira on the road leading to this fanciful residence? I mean its poor thinking, if you can build a mansion amidst glaring poverty around you.’’

‘’ Yes, I think I agree with you here. Most of those beautiful houses you saw in Abuja as you rightly noticed are empty, but with invincible occupants.’’ Colour told him with a smile.

‘’ Invincible occupants, what do you mean?’’

‘’ Okay, let me explain. These fanciful big houses with green lawns, some with swimming pools, organized drainage and all the other fanciful things you see in modern houses are mostly occupied by lizards, snakes, spiders, scorpions, rats and other rodents who are keeping the empty spaces alive.’’ Colour told him and then chuckled.

Ken Solomon stared thoughtfully at him and then ruptured into laugh as their car cut through the traffic along the busy Ikeja and linked up Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, the popular road on which the famous Balcony Hotel was located.

‘’ Yeah, a beautiful nonsense, just the way I see many beautiful big cars across various roads in your country with lots of hard working mechanics tending to some of them diagonally in many garages. Yet, your rich country cannot rally these creative minds around to create a made in Nigeria car. Instead, your rich politicians, government officials and other rich entrepreneurs spent billions of naira in capital flight every year importing cars from Europe, Asia and America. Funnily, your mechanics are good at dismantling and assembling these imported cars made by men like them,’’ KS said and then ruptured into laugh again as they stared thoughtfully at him and drove towards the Balcony Hotel.