Yesterday was an eventful day for my brother Yusuf. He was involved in an accident. Thankfully, it was not fatal. His okada was hit by a car that lost control of its brake. No one was seriously hurt. Yusuf only sustained minor injuries.
At the hospital, the doctor mentioned that the accident would have been fatal if Yusuf had not been wearing his helmet and chin guards.
Nawa o! Thank God that the yellow MAX people gave us helmets. To think that the night before the accident, one of our brothers Malik was telling us how for 3 years, he had been riding okada without a helmet and how it felt like a cage.
Thank God, Yusuf didn’t listen to him.
That’s true! The yellow MAX people also paid for everything at the hospital. I was surprised. I think it is very thoughtful of them.
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On my end, a lot has happened and time keeps flying past. It’s been a month now since I became a MAX Champion. I have met a lot of people since I started and very funny ones at that.
The other day, I carried two friends from Challenge to Mokola, I almost regretted it. One of the friends was very plump and the other was the opposite. Before then, I had not carried two persons on my okada.
However, on that day, I decided to carry them so I could make extra cash on the trip. Thank God, it didn’t end woefully.
Thinking back now, I should have known better. When the two friends wanted to board my okada, they made a scene of who would sit in the middle. The plump one insisted on sitting at the back. After about 5 minutes, they both agreed that the plump one should sit in the middle. I had never seen anything like that. What a waste of my time. Na money cause am.
We started our journey and about five minutes into the journey, I began to struggle to control the okada. Apparently, the plump lady had occupied almost all the space on the okada and there was little room for her friend. I was worried her friend would fall off as the motorcycle was not balanced. I could feel the grit in my hands.
I had to stop every five minutes to make sure they were properly seated. I decided there and then to only carry one passenger no matter how much extra they might be willing to pay.
I was scared and concerned as I didn’t want to put my life or my rider’s at risk. What was ringing in my mind was the yellow MAX Oga saying “Safety comes first”.
It’s not all bad. I also have good news to share! I have been making good money with my MAX Okada and I have been saving as well. I plan to save as much as I can to get an apartment to be comfortable so my mother can come to visit me.
The journey has been fun and I can speak little yoruba now. Let me show off a bit. Odaaro!
Wait a sec! Would you like to read more about the passengers that board my okada?
Your Max Champion,
Aliu.
