In God we trust

Sir: The motor-park was packed with travellers trying to make their way home for Christmas. It was that season when transporters made their kill. Transport fares were unceremoniously increased and travellers were packed so tightly together. Several people were sandwiched between food stuffs like bags of rice and travelling suitcases. This 15-seat Toyota Hiace bus, with an inscription “In God We Trust”, actually sat 18 passengers. Its booth was so overloaded that it was two-third open. As a result, a rope was used to hold it in place, and to prevent the overloaded trunk from spilling its content. The rear end of the bus squatted, and shivered uneasily, under the weight of its contents. This left the front slightly suspended at an angle, as if it was about to be launched into space.

The passengers cautioned the driver and the conductor about adding more luggage unto the bus. But they were adamant. They added more baggage to the bus, as long as the prospective passenger paid extra. The conductor added a few more travelling bags and a foam mattress on the bus. What did the àgbérós care about safety? They were paid for every item they loaded in or on the bus. The bus looked like it would skid or overturn at the slightest impact. It was obvious that paying for this bus was deliberately stretching the benevolence of one’s guardian angels, or putting God to the test. In normal circumstances, the right thing for a sane passenger to do was to leave and seek another.

Unfortunately, the others were not different. It was the 21st of December, and the next three days would be a nightmare, thanks to the mad rush home for Christmas.

After overloading the mini-bus and collecting exorbitant fares from all passengers, the driver paid the motor-park touts who helped load the bus. The driver made sure that all his passengers were in, shut the door, went to his seat, sat down, and just announced: “Prayer ooo!”.

“In Jesus name, in the mighty name of Jesus,” began a passenger at the rear of the bus, and the rest replied animatedly, “Amen.” “I cover this bus and its passengers with the blood of Jesus,” and the passengers chorused “blooood of Jeezus.” At the end of her prayers, the passengers thundered their responses, as if their safety and lives depended on that single response… “Aaaameen!”

The driver turned on the ignition, while the other passengers thanked the prayer leader for her powerful prayer. She was one of the last three passengers. She had paid the driver exorbitantly to have her Vitafoam mattress tied on the bus, in spite of the disapproval of the other passengers. They had forgotten about her mattress and the danger it portended, and felt soothed by her prayer. After willfully putting our lives in danger, in God we trust.

• Ugo Nweke is a priest, lives and works in Lagos.