I ran into her today.

She must have been in her sixties.

Sitting stolidly behind the neatly arranged sheaf of books.

Novels.

Beneath an improvised cabana.

Along the dusty weary road.

In.

Anthony village.

I stopped the Taxify I was in, got out and walked over to her.

Impressed by the books and their titles.

"Madam I hail o."

"My son, I hail you too."

"Dis your books don enter my eye o."

"I pray e enter your pocket too."

Laughter.

"I happy as I see you dey sell dis books for outside here."

"Me I go happy pass you, if you follow me buy dem."

"I go buy na. But other people dey buy too?"

"Well well o. Plenty plenty. All dis young girls dey waka come here dey buy sometimes two, sometimes even four at a time. The boys na miss road. As no be ashawo book I dey sell, dem no dey buy. But as you come so, e kon mean say hope dey for the boys."

Laughter.

"You dey read dem before you sell dem?"

"Pesin wen dey sell coke, e dey taste am before e sell?"

Laughter.

"But tell me na, which one of these books you like pass?"

"I no know o, abeg help me buy my market."

"Tell me which one you like pass na, make I buy am."

"How I go like wetin I no dey read?"

"Why you no dey read wetin you dey sell madam?"

"Because no be everybody lucky go school."

Surprised.

"You no go school?"

"School for village na farm e be."

"Ahhh! You for go adult class na when you enter Lagos."

"No be husband go allow im wife go enter school?"

"You get pikin?"

"You be journalist?"

"No o, I just wan know you."

"Why you wan know me? Dem send you?"

"I wan tell your story."

"You go pay me money?"

"I wan tell people make dem come here come dey buy your market."

"Na so. Why you wan dey do dat one? Na zara or abi wetin?"

"Na love."

"You no get wife?"

"No be dat kain love, madam."

"Ahhh I be sisi o. If you see me wear cloth enter church na, you go dey gbaske for your trouser. Na all dis sun make me black like dis, before I be yellow funfun, all the men dey eye me, until Devil kon send my husband kon spoil my market."

Laughter.

"How come you decide to dey sell all these books wen you no fit even read them?"

"Because na di tin wen I wish say I fit do, na im I dey sell so oda pipu fit do am."

"E never late to learn how to read na."

"Abeg my pikin if you no the problem wen I carry for head, you no go tell dis my suffer head say make e fine space for book to enter. I don retire. Make God bless me for the people wen I don help to read."

"God bless you."

"Na your pocket e go use bless me o, no be your mouth."

Laughter.

"Oya, I go buy three books, but first pose make I take you pisure with your market."

Laughter.

Running.

"No video me o!... Before you go kon use am go do juju."

Lagos.

From Mr. Jude's collections

So many Nigerians can really hustle.

hisgrace090:
So many Nigerians can really hustle.

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You can say that again!

It's in our DNA, may the Almighty bless the work of our hands.

It's so true what she said... girls really buy books... especially second hand novels of American authors. There is one man just outside University of Ibadan gate that sells second hand novels; there is no day/time I pass there that I don't see at least 2 girls buying books from him.


I guess the books are cheap... maybe 200 Naira or so. It is good, but I have to say it affects the sales of Nigerian authors books. The girls would rather buy very cheap used foreign books than buy a new book by a Nigerian author that probably cost like 500 Naira and above.

And later one idiot will say we are lazy.




Nice post op.

kay29000:
It's so true what she said... girls really buy books... especially second hand novels of American authors. There is one man just outside University of Ibadan gate that sells second hand novels; there is no day/time I pass there that I don't see at least 2 girls buying books from him.


I guess the books are cheap... maybe 200 Naira or so. It is good, but I have to say it affects the sales of Nigerian authors books. The girls would rather buy very cheap used foreign books than buy a new book by a Nigerian author that probably cost like 500 Naira and above.

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Second hand foreign books right?
Reminds me of secondary school days, even uni, most of us bought our text books from such vendors.

chivera018:
And later one idiot will say we are lazy.




Nice post op.

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Thanks.
By our fruits, they'll know us globally ... may the Almighty bless our hustles.