Even dough dis my taxi driver work no dey give me time to go church or mosque or shrine, one ting I know be say diaris God.

Yesterday na my best day dis year. Somebody shout Hallelujah!

I wake up early for morning, I rush go for baf room make I quick baf before anoda person enter becos if you get wia you want go early morning and you wait make everybody wake up for dat our face-me-I-face-you house wia we dey live for Abule Egba, hmm, na im be say you go stand for queue sote afternoon go reach you for dia. Di house be like barrack, tenant pass 20, and na one room dem dey, except my own wey be room and parlour.

Di worst ting be say, all di tenant na every six month dem dey born pikin. Di list tenant for dia born like seven pikin, dat’s why no week dey pass wey dem no dey do naming ceremony for dat our compound. Tank God say I no dey kukuma dey for house.

Di two woman pikin wey me and Bose get don reach us. I dey always pity all dose our tenant dem wey go squeeze demself, like 7-10 of dem, for inside one tiny room like dat wey no big pass 2 by 2 sef.

So, dat yesterday, I wake up by 4 O’clock a.m. in di morning, run enter for baf room, after dat, I wear my shokoto trouser and jumper. I warm di engine of my guonguoro, check oil and top water. I wake Bose up and tell am say I don enter road be dat, make I go try my luck as Xmas don dey reach so.

As I just comot for our street, turn dat bend bend corner wia transformer dey, I see one man, im wife, dia four pikin and load tanda for road dat early morning.

Dem stop me, di man say make I drop dem for Ojuelegba, say dem dey travel go dia village go do Xmas. I tell di man my price, e begin beg say e too much, say make I consider im pikin dem nah. Na im I talk am for my mind say no be Xmas you carry your family want go enjoy for your village so? I send you message? Na so I took off with my guonguoro. Bad market!

I no reach di next street still for dat our Abule Egba area, wey I see one oga and madam tanda for road with dia car. Dem stop me. Dem say dia motor get troublem, say dem don call dia mecho to come carry am for dia go repair. Dem say dem dey go for one program for Sagamu, make I go drop dem. I tell dem my price, di oga count my money pay me sharpaly sharpaly.

Wen we reach for Sagamu, I drop dem for di program place. Di oga say make I come back by 2 O’clock p.m. in di afternoon dat same day come carry dem back to Lagos. I say no troublem. All correct, Sir!

As I just move for di program place, enter express to dey come back, na im one madam stop me, e say make I drop am for Yaba Tech, say e dey go carry im pikin for school come for Sagamu. E say I go carry am go and carry am plus im pikin back to Sagamu. Olorun Oba o!

We reach Yaba Tech, im pikin, one fine boy like dat, don ready sef. Quick quick, I carry im bag put for boot, madam and im pikin enter for back seat, I open ignition, put my guonguoro for gear, di ting answer me kia kia, I smile. We don dey go back Sagamu be dat.

Wen dem drop for dia house for Sagamu, madam pay me cash down. E say make I wait small make dem make food for me. E say I be good man and I sabi my work well well.

As di madam dey talk, na im di husband come out for parlour wia we dey. Di madam tell am say na me be di taxi driver wey bring dia pikin from Yaba Tech for Lagos for di Xmas holiday. Di man tank me well well. E ask me my name, I tell am say my name na Rotimi Olugbemiro, but dat everybody dey call me Oga MAT.

Chei! I no even talk am finish wey dis man begin shout. E say yehhhh, so na me be dis Oga MAT wey im don dey read im tori tey tey? E say im don dey pray for di day wey im go see dis Oga MAT.

Di man say make I siddon, say im be General Kassim but e just retire for Army January dis year. E bring wine, bring chicken wey dem don fry.

I tell di General say I still dey duty, say I go come visit am for Sagamu anoda day. Di man say ok, if na so, make I wait, im dey come. Di General wey nearly tall like NEPA pole enter room, come out and give me one fat envelope like dat. E say make dia houseboy go bring one turkey and five yam put for di boot of my guonguoro. My broda, I weak.

I tank di General and im wife well well. As I wan begin dey go, di General say im forget to ask me wetin be di full meaning of Oga MAT. I smile, den come tell am say MAT mean, Man About Town. I say na so one passenger call me for our garage many many years ago becos of dis my work, since den, na so all our union member dem for our garage begin call me and now, na di name wey di hole world dey call me. Di General and all im family happy to see me for dia house no be small.

I look time, 1:30 O’clock p.m. in di afternoon don nack, na im I say make I kukuma go di program place go carry di oga and madam back to Lagos.

I reach dia, small time program don finish, oga and madam come out. Dem shock to see me even before di 2 O'clock pm in di afternoon wey dem been give me. Na so dem enter my guonguoro, and I move straight back to Lagos.

I drop dem for dia house for Oko Oba, near my area Abule Egba. Dem tank me well well. Dem say I be correct taxi driver. Dem pay me correct money, den madam bring one big fowl like dat, say make I take do Xmas with my family. Tori Olorun!

I look time, na almost 4 O'clock pm in di evening. I come talk am for my mind say na wetin I want go find for garage again. I say make I kukuma go back house and rest. After all wetin again I dey find - only one day I don get wine, turkey, fowl and enough money. Wen I open di envelope wey di General give, you know how much I see? No worry, till anoda day.

Tell me, na wetin again remain to take do Xmas? Modupe lowo Olorun o!

Make we jam again for Friday.

Tank you.

Tank you very much.

And tank you very, very much indeed.

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