Power of the Mind

The Taxi driver showed me a big black welt on his neck. It ran around his neck. Blueish black, Swollen. He told me that in October he had gone to a real estate agency on Allen Avenue to pay for six plots of land in Lekki EPZ zone. Twenty four million plus naira inclusive of all charges. It was the balance of the money he had saved during three years stay in Germany and had brought back with him. He had imported five cars from Germany into Nigeria. He gave his parents one. His wife the other. Sold two. And was driving one. 

He had paid for two years rent for his house in Surulere and furnished it. Bought a piece of land in his village in the East which he was still developing. And hurriedly done the traditional and white wedding to his Igbo bride who had waited for him during his stay in Germany. The purchasing of the land at the Lekki EPZ zone was a long term investment for him. While in Germany he had got into a partnership with a manufacturing company and was going to build a factory on the land for the fabrication and assemblage of solar power equipments using their propietary technology. He had inspected the land. Met with the Baale and the Omo-oniles. Got the C of O. Took it to the local government and the land registration offices. and their authenticity was confirmed. Then he had in the first week of last month he had paid the money into the accounts of the real estate company and promptly on the advise of his wife, he had mobilised builders and gone to the land to fence it in order to ward away trespassers. 

At the site as they began work, some of the Omo- Oniles who he had never seen had accosted them and an argument had ensued when they told them that the plots of land belonged to three other individuals collectively. He protested and marched with them to the Baale to make his case. On getting there, the Baale he saw was different from the Baale he had seen the first time he visited the palace. Another bout of arguments that took hours, during which the other owners of the land were summoned. They showed him their C of Os.  Not believing the authenticity of their documents they all went with him to the local government and land registration offices where he once again met different people from the ones he had met when he first came there. 

The verdict. His documents were fake. Theirs were genuine. Beside himself in shock, he had driven to the real estate agent office on Allen Avenue. It was closed. The agency had packed up and left. The guards at the bank next to the building told him that they had moved out at night. The Taxi driver said that as he heard the words from the guards, he actually felt a dark cloud envelope him and a deep sadness seize him. He had never felt such sadness before. Never felt such sense of hopelessness. He called the real estate agent. It rang unaswered thrice. And then it was switched off. He tried repeatedly and got the same, he felt the grip of sorrow tighten around him. And it was in its grip he had driven home that afternoon, his heart drumming in his ears. The house was empty since his wife was at work. He sat in the living room and stared at the television which was not turned on.

 All he could see was himself working so hard in Germany to save the money he had just lost. The questions rained on him. How would he complete the house in the village? How would he raise the money for the factory? What will he tell his business partners in Germany who had already advanced him a credit facility and were sending him a shipment of the equipments he will need to set up the factory? What will he tell his Uncle who had collected a high interest loan on his behalf from his bank to finance the building of the factory itself? How would he take care of his new wife? How would he take care of his aged parents? He said the more he thought the more he couldn't think. And all he heard clearly and distinctly as though someone was talking to him were the words; "There is no hope. No need to stress yourself again. End it all. Kill yourself. End your suffering. God understands. God knows you have tried.  It is easier to die than live through this suffering. 

There is no way you can raise that money again.  You see you don't even have the complete loan itself even if you return it. Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself. Kill yourself." He did not know when he took his belt, made a loop, tie the end without the buckle on the metal railing of the staircase that led to the upstairs bedroom of the duplex in which he lived. Pull up one of the dining room chairs close to the staircase, climb on it, put the loop around his neck. He said a short prayer and begged God to forgive him and receive his soul. Then he kicked the chair out from underneath his feet and his weight dropped making the loop tighten around his neck. The suddenness shocked him. And even without thinking he had his hands grabbing for the tight belt around his neck. He tried to breathe. With every draw of air the belt squeezed tighter. His throat and his nostrils were on fire. There was a ringing in his ear which grew louder with every passing second. He felt his lungs catch fire and his windpipe begin to break. His vision began to blur as darkness rushed towards him. But he didn't see his life flash back as he had thought he would based on the stories he had heard. Instead he felt an undescribable urge to survive. 

To fight for his life. He tried to grab hold of the railing behind him so that he could pull himself up and his feet could find a footing on the staircase but his hands couldn't find anything as it flaying around in confusion and alarm. It was then he felt the saliva pulling in his mouth. It was like a river. It was rushing. His strength was failing him. He could feel his mind telling his body to fight but he could feel the power fade out of his body and his hands and feet sagging towards the ground. And as the darkness rushed over him, and he felt a terrible coldness seize him, the last conscious thought he had was that he had forgotten to write a note to his wife. When he opened his eyes, later that day, the first thing he saw was the white ceiling of the clinic and the first thing he felt was the sweat on his face. 

For a moment he was disoriented and couldn't remember who he was, where he was or why he was there. Then he heard voices. A lot of voices. And in that din, he heard the voice of his wife. Shrill with fear as she asked a question.  "God please o! You saved me from being a widow, don't punish me now with a husband in coma. Help your daughter in the name of your son Jesus!" His wive's voice had a sing song to it when she prayed which usually made him laugh. It was as though she was singing while laughing and jumping up and down on the same spot. "We are lucky the belt broke in time for him to start breathing on his own accord,if not…It was then he called out her name. And the hospital room exploded in joy. 

The week that followed was tough. His wife after her joy had subsided was furious at him. She accused him of not loving her at all. His parents and his younger sister journeyed down from the East and joined in the angry outburst. How could There will be no one to take care of them? He didn't even bother to leave behind a male child. It rained down on him like a storm. And all he could say was a remorseful sorry. But it was the doctor who intervened and urged them to sheath their swords, before he told them that the real estate agent could be caught. He knew someone at Lion building in Lagos Island who had experience with matters like that and who was an expert in recovering stolen funds. His parents insisted that the doctor give him time to heal before anyone went in search of the real estate agent, but when they heard the amount of money involved they changed their tune. So the contact was called. He offered to help but needed a mobilisation of N250,000. 

It was his wife who offered to bring the money. Like her husband she was a saver too. The money was given to the contact, who then requested for the n the number of the real estate agent and the account number the money was paid into and  it was given.Meanwhile the bank the 3money was paid into was contacted. It was ascertained that the money was still in the account. A police order for a hold on the money was forwarded to bank. The bank complied. The girls were interrogated. They got the information needed,including the manager’s address.They arrived at his house at Magodo 5.30 a.m in  the morning. They bursted the doors and met him sleeping in bed with a girlfriend. Both naked.  

They were  arrested. And by noon of the same day, the money was transferred back to the account.the Taxi driver. He gave the contact an extra N500,000 in gratitude for christmas and another N500,000 which he had requested for his contacts at the banks and the telecom companies. It had taken the contact four days to recover the funds. And the Taxify driver had been discharged a fifteen days after his admission when his lungs, throat and his right sprained ankle had sufficiently healed. The Taxi driver looked over at me as I sat quietly listening to his story. "You never know the value of life until you nearly lose it. 

 Pray you never experience something that can break your spirit, because this your mind, you can never trust it. It can lie to you just like that and just like that it can save you. It can confuse you and it can make things so clear to you, you will be amazed. So you have to be careful when you choose to listen to it.  Just pray that you never get to that point where you are at the mercy of your mind. Because what it can make you do, hmmmm..." And he fell silent. We drove on. After a while I asked him. "Are you still going to buy another land for the factory for the Solar project?" "Me?" He laughed for a while before he continued. What do I need all that stress for? I have told my uncle to return the loan.

 I paid back the part I gave him as his cut. Paid the interest that had already accumulated. I told the Germans thank you very much but I am not interested anymore. I paid back the shipping charges and penalties for breaching the contract. I still have like a couple of millions in my account. I am waiting for my wife to get her papers and we are taking off back to germany. We get there. She gets a job, I get a job. We make enough to raise a family, travel on holidays, live life. Man, all these wanting to build empires and acquire money you can't spend cos its too much doesn't mean anything. If you experience the loneliness of death you will understand what I am saying. Vanity upon vanity man, all is vanity.Just be happy, show love, experience the world, earn just enough to make you comfortable, be contented and keep your mind in check." Then he laughed again.  I tell you. 

The devil is right there in you. He is your mind. If you are looking for salvation, then conquer your mind.  I was looking at him silently,There was a transcendental peace on his face as he kept shaking his head and laughing with such pure happiness, it was evident that to him, he had found out the greatest secret in existence. I couldn't help but smile with him.
*******Oke Janet 200level Law, OAU**********

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