Chapter 1: Night Road No Get Friend
No dey look accident scene when you dey pass road, abeg. Even if curiosity dey bite you for body like mosquito, just face front. Shine your eye, no carry another person load for head. For this our Naija, if you poke nose anyhow, sometimes na wahala you go see.
If you see person dey wave for lift around midnight, no just stop anyhow. Because for this country, you no sabi who be who, especially that kind odd hour. E fit be normal person, e fit be something wey no pure. Wisdom dey say, night road get im own spirit, make you respect am.
And no dey reason say because your truck big and strong, wahala no fit reach you. Truck no be charm. Even if your tyre strong like okada man for rainy season, na so so problem dey waka for Nigerian road, day or night.
All these warnings my oga give me, e still dey my head for over ten years now. Oga Yakubu, my former master, always dey shout, "Lawal, no forget—road no get friend!"
But tonight, I mess up. E pain me for chest as I dey remember say all those advice fly comot for my mind when wahala come. If to say I fit rewind time, I for tie my ear with Oga Yakubu warning.
Around midnight, na so I jam one family of four dey wave hand anyhow for roadside, dey try stop me. For that dead hour, only person wey get real problem go dey beg stranger for help. The night cold dey bite like harmattan breeze, and the bush dey quiet, only frog dey croak far. The moon sef hide face behind cloud, cold dey enter my bone.
As the man see my headlight, e just kneel down begin knock head for ground. You go fear! For grown man to kneel dey beg stranger, you go know say e don tire for life. My mind reason—e no easy.
Their black motor park anyhow for road, like say e don spoil, and all of them just dey shake, fear catch them. The car be like old Corolla, paint don peel like akara for hot oil, bumper nearly touch gutter. The woman hold pikin like fowl wey wan escape.
Make I help? Abi make I bone? But wetin if na set up? My mind dey debate. I look them well, then sigh. I allow them enter my truck. The man, fear full him face, talk say one strange red sports car just dey pursue them for this same mountain road.
Na so dem jump enter, the two pikin for back, woman hug dem. The man voice dey shake like generator wey wan off.
I tell am make e no worry—after all, I dey drive heavy truck, no car go wan try me. For my mind, I dey flex small. All these small boys with their wahala car, if e too much, I go just slow down make dem pass.
Na that time radio begin talk about traffic accident. Na Naija Info FM, traffic update, their voice sharp. "We just receive report for mountain expressway, accident involve red sports car and black sedan..."
For this same mountain road, dem talk say red sports car and black sedan get serious crash. As the radio dey talk, my hand just dey shake small. Accident for this same route? God abeg!
The driver of the red sports car die for the spot. Wetin my ear hear, na so my body cold. As if person pour ogogoro for my skin.