This will be my first postcard from London to you posted on this blog. I hope that you will be happy getting it. I’m writing from Nottingham, a city synonymous with Robin Hood, gun violence, the Goose Fair Festival, etc. I will not delve into these issues now but in subsequent postcards.
I struggled with the early morning cold to reach the bus stop in order to catch a bus to work. A few meters from the bus stop, people gathered for nothing else but to urge a disgruntled middle aged man not to jump from the 6th floor of a building. I got a glimpse of the man whom I presumed received government benefits (get paid weekly for doing nothing). He looked healthy and well-kept, although I was informed that he lost his job and also his marriage crashed.
I thought of Nigeria, and tried to reason how this scenario would have been if this is taking place somewhere in Aba. No one would have cared about him and at the same time the Police would have been waiting to throw him into the cell if he survived. If he jumps, that means less people and people must drink at his funeral. I risked missing my bus in order to see the end of the “movie”. Finally, he reached an agreement with the government negotiator via his cell phone not to jump, because he was promised a Council flat (rent at no cost). He agreed to go for counseling, which the government will also pay for. The Paramedics took him down from the angle where he stood, to the jubilation of his friends and family, whereas I got to work late. I can’t think of a lesson from this incident for you to take home, nonetheless till next time.
Originally published on Tuesday, 15 March 2011 by Maddox Ojimadu’s Blog
http://maddoxojimadu.blogspot.de/2011/03/post-card-from-london.html
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