After I left that nwaboi apprenticeship without a penny, I began searching for a job immediately — the problem was, I was just a high school graduate and literally knew nothing about changes in the outside world. My sister invited me to her house and I decided to tag my friend along with me, I had no phone and she was hours away from where I was staying.

While inside the car heading to her place, I kept noticing job notice everywhere written boldly and decided to get the number quickly using my friend's phone. Omo, sharp guy... We were fantasizing about getting just any job so we could survive, after getting back from my sister's house, we called the number.

He sounded like a big man who eats chicken every week, he told me his "boy" would come to pick us up. Ah "pick us up", e be like say God don pick our call. We were managing and going there would require paying for transport fare and the only money with me was the one my sister gave me; and since I was a good friend, I had to pay my transport fare and that of my friend. We kept contemplating and even went to a bakery that morning to look for a job.


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The man started calling and I was scared to pick up the call, I called him and he was asking if we were still coming. "I told you to be here by 7:00AM", that was the next thing we heard. I apologized and explained that we were coming there from another town, he told us to call him once we got there.

When we got there, I kept wondering what type of job as that about? I called him, he kept directing us to the location. There was a young man putting his hands up, making a call and looking at our direction. E be like say na the man boy be this, we walked up to him and greeted him. Dude was looking so tough, his shirt and pants had seen dry and rainy days. He was angry (or so he made it seem) that we couldn't recognize him, he told us he was the guy that's been talking to us on the phone.

My friend looked at me but I looked away because Mama Shamsiya taught me well — I can never look down on someone because he doesn't look "rich". He asked if we came with our nose masks and we told him we did. We got to a big house that looked like a hotel/motel, everything began to get more suspicious. They gave us sanitizer, searched us with a device and let us in.


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And then, the first surprise hit us unexpectedly like an avalanche: the hall we got into was filled with people. Ah, Jesus! Introvert like me 😢... The worst part was that, my pant was torn in between like a zigzag; I was embarrassed plus all eyes were on us. My friend and I wanted to sit in the same place but this guy dragged me like a kid to the front row. Another embarrassment!

They started their ramblings about how "your boss is making money through you while you're stressing yourself for him and receiving chicken change". The speaker was a young man, his shoes looked like he trekked from Abuja to Lagos. He spoke so confidently, talking about how the company has changed his life... This company was a Chinese company (from what I learned) that sells medicine, these guys trekked the length and breadth in and out of town to sell these medicine.

After speaking, he called on his mentor, singing and clapping his hands. That was when the real torture began, they began shouting and dancing — my ears were screaming for help. It was hard to even hear what the speaker was saying, hunger was also torturing my stomach. This guys kept screaming, talking and singing, I felt like walking away from there...


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After hours of torture, it was over and I was already close to the gate when this guy held me and asked where I was going to. He was literally forcing us but perhaps he thought he was "persuading" us. He told us to pay the registration fee which was 6k, I explained to this guy my life story but dude kept saying the same thing. We went upstairs with him, only to see another crowd. 😢

The noise there was enough to drive a man mad — the gods didn't need to be involved. They separated themselves and formed different circles, every group was trying to outshine the other in noise making. I had ulcer and my eyes were teary but I had to act like a man. Even after all this, that guy was asking us to stay back for some time. He continued to persuade us to pay the registration fee.


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Nairaland is not letting me post the last part

Eyahhhhh

After hours of torture, it was over and I was already close to the gate when this guy held me and asked where I was going to. He was literally forcing us but perhaps he thought he was "persuading" us. He told us to pay the registration fee which was 6k, I explained to this guy my life story but dude kept saying the same thing. We went upstairs with him, only to see another crowd. 😢


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The noise there was enough to drive a man mad — the gods didn't need to be involved. They separated themselves and formed different circles, every group was trying to outshine the other in noise making. I had ulcer and my eyes were teary but I had to act like a man. Even after all this, that guy was asking us to stay back for some time. He continued to persuade us to pay the registration fee.


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He made promises of how he'd take care of us as our "mentor" and how the "business" has changed his life — funny enough, this guy looked hungry. I had to promise I'd be back (truly, I meant it), after we left there, my friend told me not to try such nonsense


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When we called this guy to tell him we were not interested in becoming like him, he started insulting us "I said it! I knew you won't come back! This is why you will remain poor because you've refused to follow the true path"

I had to rephrase all he said... See, if you're on nairaland — thunder water you!