“…The trip from Gombe back to Enugu was filled with tension and anxiety.
We barely left the outskirts of the city when we met an accident scene. One of the vehicle was filled with Corp members going to their PPA on a fellowship Bus.
Though no life was lost, the driver of the small vehicle sustained serious injury and the vehicles caught fire just minutes after the crash.
When our bus got to the scene, many of the Corp members were still in shock. A few were praying, some kneeling down and praying, singing praises to God while crying. Some were speaking in tongues.
Then there are those complaining bitterly that their properties were in the burning vehicle. The passersby by were attending to the seriously injured driver while waiting for the FRSC men they called to Arrive.
Some people in our bus were generous enough to gift them some items and money before we continued our journey.
Inside the bus, one could easily notice that almost everyone was tensed. Some were already praying silent. Any slight galloping of the vehicle, almost everyone would shout “Driver!”
It was in that situation that one hungry looking middle aged man stood up with his head half bent. He started by preaching.
One would hardly discern whether he was preaching to us to repent or he was scaring us to make the journey uncomfortable for us.
He started telling us how that day could be our last day on Earth. He started giving instances of how many buses that have fallen into the hands of bandits and Fulani Herdsmen on that road.
He described vividly how some passengers on that road were kidnapped and put in a horrible condition. After collecting ransom, they were still killed.
He started telling us how horrible the fight between Fulani Herdsmen and Cattle rustlers is and how we could fall into one.
Everybody was shouting “blood of Jesus” quietly. He finished with fear inducing preaching and started singing and people gently responded.
When he finished his songs and prayers, we encountered local vigilantes that told us there was a rumour that a robbery was taking place ahead of us that we should thread carefully.
Already being clothed with fear, the passengers shouted the driver down and we had to wait for more than 20 minutes before we saw an oncoming vehicle that told us that road was clear.
We then resumed our journey. Once we see cows and their Herdsmen, our hearts would skip.
It was like that until we got to Peace Park. I then called Mma to let her know that I have reached. Then I entered Sienna to Nsukka where I would spend my 2 weeks leave before going to my PPA in Anambra.
While I was in the bus, I was just imagining how the journey to Gombe was so sweet, and then the journey back home was full of horror.
I connected the dots and recalled that the difference is Mma. Mma is the difference.
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(ONE YEAR OF HARD WITH MONTHLY ALLOWANCE, Season 5; Episode 2) was brought to you by Ugwuagbo Emmanuel Chizoba Daniel (Zoba De Great)