Why I love CD Days

I love Community Development days. It’s the only day I wear my corper gear, which I love wearing (seriously, I do. My friends tease me about this all the time). It’s also the only day I can explore the city and get into a little trouble. Take last week, on my way back from CD, a bus conductor wanted to chance me. Instead of the N20 change I was supposed to get, he extended N10. Eh? I didn’t touch it. The fare is usually N30, not N40. He nodded once as if to say, “bring it on.” The battle lines were drawn and I was FULLY up to the task ;)

What do I look like? A JJC, just because I’m in corper khaki?I didn’t get off the bus when we reached my stop. A nice man beside me tried to pacify me by giving me N20, but nope, didn’t take it.

I had been challenged to a fight, and wasn’t about to acquiesce. I got down from the bus, squeezed my face and told Mr. conductor and his driver (and my bus audience) that I ply that route every week for N30, not N40 as he claimed. So—give me my twenty naira change.

So there I was, holding up the bus—thoroughly embarrassed, yet too stubborn to back down. Besides, I was fueled by the passengers who were now rooting for me: “Conductor, shey na for N10 you dey behave like this?” (mind you the same thing could have been said of me, but hey I’m a fyne girl ;). Even his driver told him to oblige me. He refused, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a N10 note. “Oya find N10 give her now,” some fellow corpers at the back of bus jested at him. When he started asking around for a N10 note, I decided I had proven my point and told him to take N100 and give me N60 change. Maybe he didn’t understand the math or he decided that omode lo n se mi (I was being childish) and I’d held up his bus long enough, but he finally grumbled and gave me my N20.

Gbosa!