Popular comedian Alibaba has recounted his experience in the hands of area boys who always expect you to pay them before doing any project in their area
This was following politician and nairabet CEO Akin Alabi’s revelation on how he diverted the transformer he bought for a community to another community when the area boys said they had to pay before installing the transformer
Alibaba wrote:
Date 2014: @shakarad1st remember that giant pothole that I paid for tippers to fill with broken blocks and rubble on that road with Excel Hotel in Warri?
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I had sent @mosusuemevor and @shakarad1st to go buy me fresh bread from #EfeAfe’s hotel. And they took too long. I called and was told the gullies on the road were too deep and caused a gridlock. So I went to see the spots.
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We calculated a few tippers of rubble and broken blocks will get the traffic flowing again. So we paid for some trips and said they could keep filling them till the road was level and motorible.
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The first tipper arrived and as he was reversing to tip the first trip, he was stopped, dragged out of the truck and thoroughly beaten. They said the contractor had to settle them first.
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Can’t remember who came to call me. When I got there, the driver had a swollen lip and there were several “youth members” who had come to share in the “deve” that was yo be shared.
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I introduced myself and asked why they stopped him from filling the holes. The leader, first had to calm his people down, because they were ready to beat their fada, before he spoke.
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I can’t start the project without settling the youths. They were 3 groups. I said, oh I didn’t know. The noise started again. One said I was lucky they did not burn the tipper.
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So I asked my guys, how many trips had they paid for, (can’t remember how many they said now)?
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I now explained that it was not a contract or government project. That I was doing from my pocket. And thought this would make them see it was privately sponsored. I was so wrong. They flared. Threatened. And I said, “E never reach to vex. The money for the rubble na MY own. The road na OUR own. So, make we wait make government BRING OUR OWN money to fix am.”
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Told the tipper driver to return his rubble. Dashed him what was paid before and went back to my hotel.
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E no reach to cause fight