₦airaland Forum

Thumbs up...words of grace.

The general shifted uncomfortably on his seat in the special reserved area. He was at the venue of the Nigeria union of journalists convention. His invitation had been hailed across board as an opportunity to foster a close relationship between the ruling military class and the gentlemen of the press.

The Union of Journalist had been campaigning for a change in leadership since the 1975 coup. The military president had decided to come around on this occasion to engage them for a little ostensibly to buy time. He had waited patiently until Mr Bami took centre stage. He began his speech with one of the dailies where he pointed out that foreign investors were leaving the country in droves due to the uncertain nature of political power in the state. He harped on the need for a return to democracy in other to create a democratic setting. The general nodded to register his agreement but his day was just about to get worse.

Suddenly Mr Bami brought up the issue of the student violent protest at the nation's premier university to the fore. He blamed the protest on the military due to their unwillingness to continue to release funds for the university education anymore deeming it too expensive for the nation's treasury. The general quickly stood up and stormed out of the building.

I am really interested in learning more about writing for the screen. I have stories I can develop within a stipulated time.

Still recounting that which have made us what we are. Loved the fact that you ended with a glimmer of hope....maybe you should have given us a little exposition on the true strength of Nigeria.

Nice recollections and I hope this will be our lot soon.

Following with curiosity....nice story.

Chief Pama was deeply shaken by the opposition from this " young chap". He couldn't believe that his attempt at creating a common ground between his idea and Davis stance was not accepted by Davis. He stood up from his seat and walked around the table to him.
" My man we have to discuss this in a proper way."
Davis felt a wave of anger but managed to suppress it. He was not ready to condescend to the level of this man.
" Sir I am very sorry I can't believe that you are trying to justify this act you have committed. If what you have told me is true you will have to come answer for the sins of Professor Tambo." he replied.
Immediately he stood up, raised his bag and left the office. Chief Pama was taken aback by this open show of opposition. He was not prepared to give in to his threat or supposed act of rebellion. He picked up his phone and dialled a number.

Davis had barely left the office when his phone rang. He brought it out of his pocket, it was his boss that appeared on his phone's screen. He pressed the call button and placed the phone at his left ear.
" Hello good morning sir" he greeted.
" Morning how was the meeting? the boss replied.
" Fine, Chief Pama just gave me a clue on who took the missing fund" he said.
" Davis I understand your zeal. I must confess that you have done us proud" a brief silence and then he continued" let me be straight with you. I have details of your discussion with Chief Pama. This case will have to stop at this point"
The command came as a big shock to Davis. His boss gave him some few seconds and then continued.
" I know what you are thinking now but events like this are common occurrence. This man has been a huge supporter of this war. This act of his is rare and we don't need to stress ourselves too much."
" Sir this is very surprising to say the least"
" I know we need to fulfil our mandate but the truth is that there is little we can do. We need to spend more time on the big cases"
Agent Davis couldn't say anything even though he had the phone close to his ear.
" Davis....hope you are still on the line" a mumble and then his boss continued " I think you need a little break. You can go home and rest I will pass on further instructions to you"
Immediately the line went dead and Davis slowly placed the phone in his pocket. He couldn't believe the whole turn around in events. His mind settled into a state of turmoil as the taxi raced through the street. It was just unfortunate that he was caught in such a blurry situation.

THE END.

Davis stepped into the office with his head dropped to the ground. He felt a chill immediately as the cool breeze from the air conditioner made him feel much lighter. He turned to his right and then saw a man sitting directly in front of him.
" Good morning sir" he greeted.
" Good morning...Agent Davis I suppose" he replied.
He nodded slightly as he acknowledged him. Chief Pama was a middle aged man with an average height. He had a sturdy physique complemented by a firm handshake. Davis examined him quickly once he stood up to shake him. His office had an impressive decor that could easily reflect the man's taste for the best the world could offer. Chief Pama offered him one of the leather seat in front of him. He sat down quietly as he waited to see the first challenge that might come against him. Chief Pama quickly flipped through a file and pushed it aside. He looked directly at Davis and then passed a newspaper directly to him. It was the day's Punch paper and its headline read;
EFCC invites Minister of Education for questioning as probe into the multimillion naira scam continues...
Chief Pama had a blank on his face once Davis raised his head to look at him.
" That's the end...I believe" Chief Pama said slowly and then continued as Davis had a puzzled look on his face.
" Mr Davis we can't stop you from doing your work but you have to understand that there are some grey areas. I really want you to stop your investigation at this point"
Suddenly Davis felt anger, confusion and all manner of emotions well up inside of him. He was not prepared to let his guard drop while he still had that passion of to nail this man and any other of his accomplice down.
" While do you want me to stop? he asked after a brief silence.
" Alright I will honour you with a little explanation. The money in question was meant to fund the construction of a cluster of libraries in two local government, a primary school and a secondary school.." he explained quietly and then continued" these are indeed basic facilities and needs no doubt....but these people are only interested in farming and other major things which are directly not in line with what the people want. These buildings will be redundant and then it will serve no important purpose at the end of the day. Therefore I decided to see how we can help this people in a more beneficial way."
Davis was suddenly shaken by the explanation but he was not ready to support his view.
" Chief with all due respect.. I must admit that you have only given me more reasons to investigate this case. Its unfortunate that you have failed to win me over to support your decision to be corrupt and at the same time deny your people of their comfort" he said quickly to the consternation of Chief Pama.

Love dis idea. I will love to join.

Davis got up early as usual the next day. He was not in a hurry as he was billed to meet Chief Pama at 10:00am. His boss had given him permission not to report at the office. He felt a bit of distaste as he was unwilling to go and meet a supposed criminal in his office. He went about his activities leisurely and enjoyed the music that was playing from his stereo. He prepared his mind as he expected a cold reception from Chief Pama. He had developed a steely resolve towards corruption and was ready to confront anyone. He watched the movement of the clock cautiously and left the house at exactly 9:30am. He hailed a taxi, his destination was Alpha Contractors which is located at one of the major business hub of the nation's capital. He enjoyed the view of the city as the taxi drove through the beautiful paved roads of the Capital city. He watched in admiration as the people rushed through the morning activities. He has always admired the amazing strength of the people but it was unfortunate that the leaders were made up of a thieving lot who have never taken the common man's struggle into account.
His throat tightened as the taxi came to a stop in front of a huge two storey building. The second floor had the Alpha Contractor boldly written at the top close to the roof. He took the stairs as he walked quietly upstairs. He got to the front of the office which had a door made of steel and glass. He pushed the door and walked in. He felt the pressure of the cool air from the air conditioner immediately he stepped in. The Secretary was a few metres away looking closely at the computer screen on her table. He walked up to her and she raised her face to look at him.
" Good morning, Chief Pama asked me to come and see him" he said.
" Good morning. Since he asked you to come...you will have to wait a little. He is having a meeting right now" she replied.
She showed him some set of leather chairs at her left hand side. He walked to the chair and sat down. Instantly he felt a rush of thoughts as he weighed on potential areas of conflict that might come up. He was eager to give a proper representation of his investigative ability. The door suddenly opened and a huge man dressed in suit came out. He bowed his head a little as he felt his gaze rest on him. He waited patiently as the secretary placed a call directly to the office of Chief Pama. After sometime she turned to him.
" You can go in" she said.
Davis stood up immediately and walked towards the door.

The fact they had a religion before does not mean that they understood its tenets. Writers become atheist when they are unable to see beyond the thoughts of others. Everyman is guided by a subconscious that is heavily influenced by the thoughts we cherish or nurse each day.

Just stumbled on this. Would love to join. 08135502120

Sorry for the delay update got lost see you soon...

Agent Davis took a last look at the the document. It contained the financial returns of the ministry of Education. Just about that time Professor Tambo knocked on the door. He walked to the door and opened it. Professor Tambo was escorted by one of the commission's officer.
" Good morning sir" Davis greeted Prof Tambo.
" Good morning...how are you?"Prof Tambo asked.
" Good sir..." he paused and then continued" You may come in sir.."
He led him inside the office and showed him the chair directly in front of him to sit, once he was seated he went round to sit directly in front of him.
" I am Agent Davis...I believe you know the reason why you are here?" Davis asked looking at him directly.
" Yes...I just hope it does not take long" Prof Tambo replied in a self assured manner.
Agent Davis saw something different in his supposed accused. He had a confident and uncompromising stir at the same time. It was strange that he was feeling hot all of a sudden. He swallowed a little and then turned to look at him.
" Professor.... we need your cooperation in making this process a bit straightforward and easy" he paused and then continued" how do you explain the missing funds"
" First of all I truly understand your duties" Professor Tambo began"....the truth is that we need your assistance. We hardly get to see our funds. Chief is directly responsible"
Davis was caught up by surprise and quickly sat upright on his chair.
" Who is Chief?" he asked quickly.
Professor Tambo's rang at that point. He eyed Agent Davis who agreed by nodding his head. He fetched the phone out of his pocket and peered at the coloured screen. He pressed the answer key and raised it to his left ear.
" Good morning Chief...." he began.
He became quiet as the caller replied. They talked for some time with Professor Tambo increasingly referring to the case. After sometime he said something
" I am going to give him the phone right away....."
He stretched his hand towards Davis. He hesitated and then took the phone as he asked him the identity of the caller.
" Hello sir.." Davis said as soon as he identified the caller.
" Hello...I am Chief Pama" the caller replied.
His voice was heavy and husky. He also sounded confident at the same time.
He continued after a brief silence"....I will prefer we talk in person. There are some important things we need to discuss...." he continued"....don't worry about your boss. I have already informed him"
Agent Davis was suddenly taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He was jolted by to life suddenly by the noise from the receiver.
" Mr Davis.....We shall see tomorrow at 10:00am."
The receiver went quiet suddenly. He handed the phone back to Professor Tambo ostensibly shaken by the anti- clockwise direction of events.
" Any other question? Professor Tambo asked with a blank stare.
Agent Davis was unable to reply as he waved him away. He fell into a deep silence as Professor left the office. Tomorrow is definitely going to be something else.

Pls share your thoughts on this piece...hoping to continue tomorrow.

His thoughts came to an halt when he heard the hard knocks on his door. He scrambled to his feet and rushed to open it. It was one of the commanding officer.
"How are you man....." he asked smiling at him.
" I am just fine..." Davis replied rubbing his hands over his eyes.
" The interrogation is about to begin and we are expecting Professor Tambo soon. He has decided to turn himself in" he replied.
" Alright thanks for your help..." Davis said almost immediately.
He rushed down to the restroom where he sprinkled water on his weary eyes. It had been a hectic assignment which he was willing to let it run its course to a good end. He rushed back to his office and took a piece of paper which has some of his thoughts on the case. He went to the first floor of the building where the place for interrogation was located.

Professor Tambo alighted the step in a manner characteristic of his gentle nature. He had a gold rimmed spectacle on which aids his vision. He was a short slim man who had worked in the area of Education all his life. He had risen to the rank of school principal before he was employed to work in the Federal Civil Service as a senior official in the ministry of Education. His excellent achievements coupled with his alliance with Chief Pama had also led to his swift rise to his present status as a permanent secretary. His present position had led him to an unfettered access to the budgetary allocation of the ministry. Therefore the whole blame had come to rest on his shoulders. He had tried to make some arrangement to avoid public scrutiny but it managed to get to the press. The EFCC soon served him a letter of interrogation.

Sorry for the long silence....continua

Davis had studied criminology at University of Lagos. He had a keen mind and he felt he could be of help in fighting crime and the corrupt tendency of Nigerians. He readily accepted the idea of joining the anti corruption war when the opportunity came for him to enrol in the academy of the Economic financial commission academy. He struggled with the huge amount of paper work they had to go through as they went through the programme. He had some twenty six others as his classmates. The course also involved some practical exercises which he thoroughly enjoyed. They were taught how to handle some small firearms which they might need in the course of their operations.
The most exciting time he had was the lecture on handling drills and interrogation of corrupt persons. The course was handled by Mr Bitrus, the huge handsome man that appealed to their sense of courage. He gave them enough reasons why they had to interrogate and investigate any misappropriation of funds belonging to both government and private individuals who came forward to complain. His words on their day of commissioning remained stuck to his memory....
" Men brought nothing to this world as we all met it in its evolving form. Therefore we all have equal chance to make a life. Unfortunately the main occupiers of our political and government sector have been blinded and caged by their insatiable appetite for public funds.....we must chase them down their paths to recover our .blessing."
Davis had cheered loudly at the charge as it reflected the general mood of his thoughts. He had suffered the results of these men's actions for too long and with his present status he would be able to halt some of their wicked schemes. Due to his high performance as a commissioned officer he was posted to the headquarters which was at the nation's capital. This was where he was going to get his first tryout with some of the elusive agents of the corrupt political class. He was billed to meet with Professor Tambo, a permanent secretary in the ministry of Education. He was the key suspect.

My first writeup, pls don't mind the errors. Hoping to up date soon.

Agent Davis woke up suddenly as the alarm clock pealed into thoughts. He glared at the clock which was by the left hand side of his bed and turned swiftly at the clock which was on the wall close to his bed. It showed 6:00am. He quickly ducked his head as he whispered a quick prayer.
He was running late for work and he had so much to do to prepare. Today was going to be a busy day at the EFCC headquarters. The past days had brought a huge wave of outcry among the populace as regards the alarming rate of corruption in the country. The latest episode was the multimillion scam that was uncovered in the ministry of Education. The newspapers had screaming headlines which generally reflected the general mood of the populace.

Agent Davis was primed to meet with one of the key suspects and this was one exercise he was not willing to let go of. He washed himself quickly and then hurried through his breakfast of tea and bread. He hailed a taxi immediately he came out of the house. His destination was the office of the EFCC. He made some quick adjustment to his appearance as the taxi raced through the wide roads of the nation's capital. He always enjoyed the scenery but his mind was mainly set on the task at hand. Interrogating a senior official of the ministry of Education was not going to be an easy task. After some few minutes the taxi stopped in front of the four storey building where their office was located in. He raced up the stairs and greeted the few people he met on the way to his office.
He made a brief stop at his boss office but he was not in. Once he reached his office he quickly sat down and studied some few files before leaning back on the swivelling leather seat. He needed a bit of calm as he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

Just sent mine and I hope it falls within your instructions.

Been following this thread and I am interested. How do I submit entry.