I was walking home after a stressful day at the office with just money for my BIS subscription and any other miscellaneous in my pocket when this well dressed guy walked up to me and practically cornered me, hear him “Please I am just coming from school and I got disappointed by that ATM machine over there” – he pointed at the ATM machine down the road while gesturing at me with his ATM card, “can you please assist me with transport to Rumukurushi” I inhaled and asked myself while looking at him ” Kuro will you act a fool once again? The other time you parted with 2500 for a phantom inhaler story by on of these crooks, remember Doctor Jumbo later confirmed that the whole story was just a ruse to defraud good hearted people like you” a second voice said “oya take him to the ATM machine let him try to withdraw right before your eyes,by so doing you will catch him red handed. Infact if he is one of those scammers

on the streets of Port Harcourt I am sure he will refuse your offer but then that tiny voice that usually lands me into unpleasant situations in the name of helping people whispered “haba! How much is Transport to Rumukurushi? Why are you thinking as if it’s 1 billion Naira? Give am the money joh and continue your journey home to eat your much needed dinner. So I obeyed the tiny good voice that has urged me to make a fool of myself on more than a dozen occasions in the past. I gave the well dressed guy my expressionless look and shoved 200 Naira (if you stay in PH you will know 200 Naira is adequate to transport any size of human from Rumuola to Rumukurushi, if he decides to cook soup for the people expecting him at home it shudnt be my wahala) 
      But then my stubbornness did not just allow the story end, you remember the loud voice that warned me to confirm the authenticity of his story? It came again ” Oboi you fit don fall mugu again oo! ordinary what is the name of your school and which department are you in you no fit ask this guy, when you go ever learn?” . Then I said to myself “well what has happened has happened, no need frowning over an overturned pot of ogbonor soup” but let me just catch a little fun before going home,let me practice some tailing techniques I read about in Ludlum’s books. Tailing him I did, I kept a distance of 75m between us and I kept using electric poles and parked vehicles as shield. ‎
GUY (II)
I tailed him for about 8 minutes and just when I got bored and was about calling it quit my well dressed guy stopped someone else, an elderly woman this time around. They had a conversation for about a minute and she dipped her hands into her bag and

money exchange hands once again, this time it was a 500 Naira note. (don’t ask me how I knew the denomination despite the distance, those who know me well know my eyes can compete favourably with a telescope). After this happened I sighed and the loud voice came back again “hahahaha, Oboi! I no tell you? You don fall mugu again, you no dey ever gree hear word” , well I told myself that I must see the end of this movie, I tailed him for more 20mins and he stopped 6 more people, 3 of them were foolish like me and the remaining 3 were obviously averse to spending their money foolishly or giving their money to lazy people. I felt a bit depressed at this point and decided to go home and mourn quietly. 
        Now I am sure lots of Nigerians can relate with this story, It’s sad enough that there are lazy people who don’t believe in working, who believe they can get money by sitting on the roadside looking hale and hearty but still begging all the same or some others who believe they can move around town with concocted stories begging all the same. I don’t have problem with them at all, I sincerely understand that there will always be lazy and crafty people in all societies or nations of the world. What saddens me is the effect this practice has on hard working and normal people who are just unfortunate to be truly stranded. What happens to the mother with a child on her back whose purse was stolen on her way to the market?what happens when she tries to explain to the bus conductor that her purse that contains her transport fare has been stolen?what happens when the bus conductor screams “Madam no tell me that kain story abeg,which kain talk be that naa?find my money for me or else………” what happens when almost every occupant of the bus says in unison “Na so them dey do,them go just leave their house for morning to play people wayo for road, Madam you go pay that money O”. What happens to that woman and her baby? . What happens to the young man who is truly stranded because he was disappointed by an ATM machine and he has a job interview to attend? What if everyone he begs for assistance sighs and says “una don come again abi?we don sabi una pattern finish,oboi go find job joh” what happens to him?. A very close friend of mine had to trek for over 3hrs just because nobody could trust him enough to give him 200 Naira for his transport after he was disappointed by an ATM machine in Port harcourt. My anger about those lazy people playing on the good nature of some Nigerians is the effect of their wickedness on sincere people who really need help, my anger is about what they are doing to our collective mindset, my Sadness is about the forced stereotyping of anyone on the road that needs assistance, my anger is on the single story being forced into the minds of millions of Nigerians that everyone who asks for money on the road is an irresponsible scammer and a lazy person. My friend who I know is naturally generous to even people he don’t know vowed recently not to give a dime to anybody he meets on the road even if the person is at the point of death according to him……lol………. I am sure millions of people have also decided to tow that path. But For the few who will not allow the behaviour of some to dampen their desire to show compassion to those in need I say bravo because they are actually people who are victims of circumstances and may need our help….




I am on twitter @tammyDmilanista

https://2ndoctober./2016/01/30/my-encounter-with-the-well-dressed-guy/

https://2ndoctober./2016/01/31/my-encounter-with-the-well-dressed-guy-ii/

you are right...we don't know who is genuine anymore.

some of them are just to lazy to work.

Melahou:

dadicvila:

but why na...I was only doing what you love doing...SP

Melahou:


but why na...I was only doing what you love doing...SP

what I love doing?? I honestly don't understand you

nice write-up. You echoed my thought about the situations we see this days. i have always assisted or should i say fallen for such scheme. while knowing that, i will never be stranded, come what may.



I will follow you on twitter if you promise to follow right back.

joefredd006:
nice write-up. You echoed my thought about the situations we see this days. i have always assisted or should i say fallen for such scheme. while knowing that, i will never be stranded, come what may.



I will follow you on twitter if you promise to follow right back.

I will follow back, meanwhile any idea how this thread can move to the front page?? I know it's not Tontoh Dikeh or Chidinma but it's something we all come across daily, well let me




CC Lalastica

Hmmmmm