Chapter 5

I quickly combed my hair, god blessed and dash to the street. I took a boss outside my house to Gbagi, close to the first Bank and paid sixty kobo for it. As soon as the bus dropped me at Agodi, I headed for the gate which lead to the Television

House. I was halted by two hefty gatemen and subjected to thorough questioning. I answered all sorts of question from what my name was to what brought me there. While. I was busy answer-

ing questions, I saw other well-dressed gentlemen and women pass the same gate into the television house without being stopped or questioned. The only man that the gatemen halted

apart from myself was a middle-aged man who wore an inferior dress like my own. More well-dressed people passed uninterrupted. It was at this time that I decided to take a proper look at myself.

It did not take me a second to realise that these gatemen were discriminating against me because of my dress:although my dress wasn't dirty it was evident to the most casual person that I was a poor man. So these gatemen were discriminating against me because of my poverty!' When I realised this I became very angry. Why are you holding me here while you allow others to pass?" I asked with clear anger. One of the gatemen told me it was a routine job.

'Do you do your routine jobs only on me?" I queried. The second gateman told me that I was a new face in the area and it was their duty to question new faces in a thorough manner. 'You

are telling lies! I shouted you are delaying me because you think I am a poor man! If I had come here with a Mercedes car or a Rolls Royce you would have opened the gate for me!" The two

gatemen simultaneously broke into laughter and told me to go inside. For all I know you are clowns' i said in a low tone. The men could have thought I was mumbling a protest, because they

continued to rock in laughter. They were so weakened by their laughter that when they showed me in, their hands were so feeble as they pointed my way in. I could still hear their laughter as 1 scampered into the building on my way to the drama section. I went to the door on which was written 'Drama section." knocked. A girl opened the door for me and I entered the room.

Directly in front of me sat a young man while a middle-aged man sat on the left. The man appeared to be very busy because he did not acknowledge my greeting. "Can I help you?" the girl asked. I replied that I had come to see the Head of Drama.

"Who?" she asked,

The Head of Drama' I said,

Don't you know him?" she asked,

''I do'

"Who is he then?"

You mean his name?'

'Yes'

'I have forgotten'

'And yet you are looking for him.'

I was getting angry at the way this girl was asking her questions. 'All I know is that there is a Head of Drama here. I want to see him. There was an edge to my voice. What do you want to see him for?' the girl asked. I told her I had an appointment with him. What's your name?' 'Akaa. Akaa Iyortyer' 'What a name!' screamed the girl as if I had said my name was Shokolokobango-

shay. The young man in front of me broke into laughter at my expense. The girl headed for the door on my right where the Head of Drama was. I had been to him there before, except that this girl did not appear to be in this office at that time.

She knocked on the Head's door and opened it. As she opened it I saw the Head busy writing. She quickly closed the door. Returning to her seat she announced to me that the Head of Drama was too busy. 'He did not tell you that!' I yelled. The girl

did not say anything to this. 'Go to him and tell him that a man who has an appointment with him is waiting!' The girl smiled maliciously. He will not admit even the country's president now'

I heard. 'I have an appointment with him at this time!, I yelled.

That doesn't matter'she told me.

'I have got to see him!' I screamed.

'What do you even want to see him for?"

I said I have an appointment!'

Your appointment has to wait until he has finished'.

When is he finishing?"

"How do I know?'

'You'll have to know because you told me to wait!'.

Mr. Man!' My attention was drawn to the youngman in front of me who made the call. If you are an impatient somebody' he said you had better not come to our office. You were told that

the boss was busy. That's simple enough. Very simple. You either choose to wait for him or go away. A very simple thing indeed I reminded him that even if the boss was busy which he himself did because the boss could decide to see me even if he was doing - not say, it was the duty of the girl to tell him that I was waiting because the boss could decide to see me even if he was doing other

things. The girl looked at me from head to toe, or rather at my dress from head to toe, and said 'who are you that the boss would suspend all other duties, for your sake?"

The youngman laughed. I reminded the girl that it was her who decided that the boss was busy, and that she had no right to say so because the boss did not say so. "You neither have the right nor the qualification to make decisions for your boss' I told her. You cannot see him. Full stop' the girl said with finality, Then, like a mad man I shot across the room, knocked on the boss's door, opened it and entered almost immediately, shutting out the girl's protests behind me. I greeted the boss and did not wait for him to tell me to sit down. Instead, I helped myself to a

chair which was directly in front of him. He did something like waving me to hold on as he continued to write without looking up. When he finally looked up he smiled and said you are Akaa

Iyortyer, is that right?" I was highly impressed that he still remembered my name and told him that he was perfectly right.

Although I had given him a tip amounting to one hundred naira so that he could employ me, I still know that there exist among us people who can take your tip and fail to remember your name,

and even your face.

'I am not single-handedly authorised to employ you' Mr. Kolawole, for that was his name. This statement contradicted what he told me the day I give him the tip: you told me you was single-handedly responsible for recruiting people. 'I'm not single-handedly authorised to employ you' he said again to ensure that this sank into my brain. Your application has gone to the board. Most board members have traveled abroad. Some for official reasons, orders for medical care. One of the members will return in six months time. Another has gone for a course in Pennsylvania which would last eight months. The chairman of the board is right now in London. He paused. I didn't is legit where he was heading to. 'No employment can be given to anybody until all the board members are back. I am also a board member, but we employed people on consensus

Mr. Kolawole then told me to check back in about nine months time when all board members would have returned. I told him I will check back although I knew that at that time I was going to be working in an office at Maiduguri.