I was so curious about this, when I saw Fatai.
Fatai happens to be a child that was born in the mid-90s into the family that
is not too rich and not too poor. His father works with Nestle while his mother
sells food provisions in bulk. Thus I can only affiliate their standard to that
of the middle class.
Fatai is the fourth child in the family of
five. After the birth of Fatai, he was taken to the soothsayer for him to
foretell his future. The soothsayer told his parents that Fatai would be great
in life; he will be a leader among his peers, dominate them and rule them. The
soothsayer went further by telling his father that the birth of Fatai would
bring so many good things to the family, the he; the father would never lack
anything good till the rest of his life. It was also foreseen that Fatai would
be a man whom everyone will be looking up to. A lot of good things were said
about Fatai that very day.
His naming ceremony was a big party, two cows
was slaughtered for his sake, “rice soup was very plenty”. There was enough to
eat and drink. Baba Fatai even went further to invite one of the popular
musician at that time to entertain the guests at the ceremony. This naming
ceremony was so elaborate, that people had to eat in mama Fatai’s house
throughout that week.
Some days after the naming ceremony, his
parent’s name was changed from Baba Basira and Mama Basira; which was the name
of the first born to Mama and Baba Fatai. It was not up to five years after the
birth of Fatai, Baba Fatai was promoted to the post of general manager where he
works. His mother started importing her good from overseas. Things were really
going on smoothly for the family, and it was very obvious that the prophesy of
the soothsayer was in manifestation.
Time after time, years after years, Fatai
finished his primary education and passed his common entrance exam into
secondary school at the age of eight. Fatai was a brilliant student which
everybody in the school reckons with. Fatai sit at the first at the front,
while I do sit at the middle of the class; not too far to the front seat, but
very distant to the last seat.
One day, our English teacher, Mrs Ogedengbe,
gave us some comprehension questions to answer. I was the only person who got
the highest mark in the class, six out of ten. As I was jubilating and basking
in the euphoria of the encomiums that was showered to me by my friends and
enemies in the class, there Fatai brought his book and I asked him what his
score was; he replied with a killing smile on his face, and said I scored ten.
I quickly grab his book to confirm, lo and behold, it was ten. Immediately the
whole class knows about this, they started retracting their encomiums and
diverted all to Fatai, the most brilliant boy in class.
This scene turned out like the story of David
and King Saul in the bible; when the women were singing that Saul slain his
thousands while David slain ten thousands. I went back to my seat silently to
mourn my defeat.
When we were promoted to J.S.S 2, Fatai was
made the head boy of the school over the J.S.S 3 students which had never
happened before in the history of our school. The students in the school began
to envy him especially me, his running mate not knowing that the prophesy of
the soothsayer towards him was in manifestation.
It was in S.S. 1 when the school decided to
repaint the entire building of the school. After the normal painting, the school
also paints the picture of Fatai at the front of the gate in a lawyer apparel.
Instead of painting the picture of a student from the science class, Fatai was
pictured on the wall putting on a white coat and a stethoscope round his neck
with a caption “I want to be a Doctor” a student from Art class. After our
summer holiday, on the first day of resumption, I saw these pictures.
Immediately I saw it, I felt bad as my picture was nowhere to be found. Anyway,
I think that was where Fatai’s future began to get blur.
After our WASSCE result came out, Fatai got 8
distinctions, 1 credit. I got 6 distinctions, 3 credits. I applied for Law in
one of the prestigious school in Ogun State, Nigeria. When I got to 300 level,
I decided to visit the place where I was brought up as a child. My father
released his car to me which I went with. It was so difficult getting the
street because it’s been a while I visited the street. On getting to the
junction of the street, I saw some guys who were drinking ‘paraga’ Agbara’,
accomplied with Indian hemp. Immediately they saw the car, they started hailing
me, shouting ‘baba o’ ‘e fun wa lowo’. I gave them 1000naira, because they
would not have allowed me to pass into the street.
Immediately I alighted from the car, I started
greeting people who I could still recognize, and one who recognized me. Then I
saw Aunty Basira whom I eventually gave 1000naira. I asked her if Fatai is back
from U.S.A.; because I could still remember that the school promised to send
him to U.S.A. to continue his education, on the day of our valedictory service.
Aunty Basira replied saying ‘USA ko UBA ni’. I was so eager to know the
rationale behind her respond, and I as back with a curious voice ‘ki lo sele ?’
‘se won fun ni scholarship yen ni ?’. Aunty Basira told me to look at that
‘orita’ well, that he is the chairman of the ‘orita’.
On my way back home, there I saw Fatai with a
big wrap of ‘weed’ and a bottle of ‘OGIDIGA’. I felt so sad; I could not get
down from the car to greet him, because he was also hiding his face. I had to
park the car because it was so hard for me to believe what I saw with my two
eyes. Then I began to ask myself, what happened to the prophesy of the soothsayer?
a man that is supposed to be a man of prestige and honour, now ends up being a
chairman of thugs, begging money just to drink ‘paraga’ and weed. Then I
believed that not all the prophesy of the soothsayers are real. It will be
doomed for a man to hear that his future is bright and not work and pray
towards it.
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