When I stepped out on Sunday afternoon, I noticed a small gathering of people was forming around the Mararaba express way.
It was a group of people trying to plead with some task force officials who had just removed the vehicle seat and number plate from one Plateau Express bus that had conveyed passengers and was journey bound.
The driver’s offence was that he stopped along the road to pick a passenger who was bound for his destination.
When I was returning from my destination and arrived at the same spot, I realized the small gathering of people had become so large that the second lane of the road was totally blocked and barred to incoming vehicles from the city’s suburb. When I enquired further, I learnt it was a gathering of Okada riders who had by then, also removed the number plate of the task force officials’ vehicle.
Upon close observation, I realized the Okada riders were stopping their fellow riders and tricycle riders to block the road without recourse to wether or not they had conveyed passengers or they were in a hurry to arrive at their destinations. I saw a people who were willing to sacrifice their time and business opportunities to fight for what they saw and deemed injustice. The driver was neither in their clique nor do they know him, but I believe they were fighting for one thing ‘injustice for one is injustice for many’.
Did they actualize their goal?
Yes! Within just a space of 10-15 minutes, the entire lane was blocked and vehicular movement came to a stand-still. Then I saw some of the task force personnel making frantic phone calls. In no distant time, the seat and number plate was returned. Then what followed was shouts of jubilation from the Okada riders who were happy to have actualized their goal.
This story may be simple and a cut-to-the-chase, but here are some beautiful and salient life lessons to learn from it.
When we fight together, we actualize more than when we fight as individuals.
People who have others to fight for them and on their behalf are stronger than those who have no one to stand for them.
Sacrifice is needed to make the world better. Without sacrifice, we can’t fight for the good of others and they cannot fight for us either.
People must not be in your clique or fold before you fight for them if you perceive an ominous air of injustice or harm done to them.
When we let love lead us, we can achieve much things and the world would be a beautiful place for everyone to live in.
PS: The crowd had dispersed before I realized I had a phone in my pocket to take pictures and video. 😂
