The Infamous Okada Ride
In the logistical nightmare we face on the daily basis in this country, the okada, albeit its irreputable (I just created this word) reputation has become a preferred means of transport for many of all age groups and to some a guilty pleasure.
For me ‘climbing okada’ thrusts my brain into a myriad of analytical and decision making processes that range anywhere from - why the okada man has a helmet but none for his passenger (if at all he has a helmet), if I really can’t survive the ride in a taxi,my response if pictures of me on an okada surface on the internet, and the safety meter of the okada man (slippers or rain boots).
It turns out I do have one of the best conversations with the the okada boys and for the most part that is why I won’t stop taking the okada every now and then. They are like the frontline soldiers. They know a lot about what is actually going on in their surroundings. I have met university graduates, artists, and all soughts of dreamers that in the face of our governmental prescribed adversity have found solace courtesy of nang fang,
Financial savvy aside, many Okada riders have confessed to me that it is a very lucrative business. For a days work, the average Okada man can retire home with 7,000 XAF in profit, after eating, and refuelling. With good money management skills which most of us lack for obvious reasons (another post on this), A single Okada man should be able to save at least 70,000 XAF monthly and in six months should be able to recoup his initial investment.
But in our culture, it is an irreputable (I used that word again) profession so many would rather die than be an okada man which makes me question our culture, socialisation, and education for it has a way of making people feel too big to do certain things.
I am a victim of that. Unless some sought of magic happens, I’ll never consider being an Okada man over jumping in front of a moving train (Yes, it is that serious) and for the same reason I hate getting into arguments with UB or SOA students partly just because besides being a top student, my university education costs 522 times what they pay annually for school and I’d expect a Harvard graduate will feel the same about arguing with my University of Tampa head over certain things.
So traditional equation does not increase our options in life. It actually kills us though its concept of specialisation because if you ride an Okada and save 70,000 XAF a month, it’ll eventually amount to something that can serve as capital for your next business, and the next, and the next but…..nah. We are too schooled for that. So much so that the least costly business idea needs 31 million francs to get off the ground.
I know a million ways to be richer if I didn’t spend 150 Million + XAF getting an education that makes me feel too big to do certain things per societal norms. I need help to getting that pride out of my head and I am not alone for sure. Rapping is one way Im helping myself but even in it, I feel the need to show my level of education. At least I can console myself in the possibility that I have enough talent to write a best seller if nothing else.
The paradox is many Okada men don’t know what I know to be able to take that next move. Don’t we need a different kind of education, something other than the class system?