Accident
June 2nd, 2008I started taking driving lessons about a week ago. It’s been exciting in a way — never mind the fact that the instructor uses a very old Volkswagen ‘Bug’ Beetle. The gears make the most awful grinding noises in the world when I shift up or down and having long legs, the wheel touches my knees.
My ’school’ is in the GRA area and I stay in Mile 4. It’s not very far, so I decided to get there quickly on an okada, today. The ride was uneventful — the okada-man made some dangerous maneuvers, but how many of them don’t? We had just headed in from Agip Junction when I felt a beautiful sensation that was matched only by the jarring impact some milliseconds later. A car had hit us from behind, sending us through the air and into the gutter — or almost in.
I think I was more shaken than wounded, as the cyclist cushioned my fall. Fortunately, we landed on a section covered by wooden boards so he didn’t really get hurt either, but his dashboard (or whatever it’s called on a motorcycle) and headlamp were torn off.
The driver parked and emerged from the car. Most of the onlookers who’d gathered dispersed quickly in disappointment when they saw the driver was female.
‘Na woman sef.’
Is there some law of nature existing only in Nigeria which renders women incapable of driving properly? I don’t think so, but for some reason whenever a lady driver commits some error, the men standing around almost always say the same thing. Na woman sef. Funnily, some women join in, as though female drivers are expected to possess poor driving skills. OK, OK, I’m ranting.
From her story, a taxi driver had tried to ‘chance’ her at the junction, and he had done it so abruptly that she swerved to avoid him. The cyclist had suddenly jumped in front of her and gotten hit. Passersby confirmed her story.
My cyclist was having none of it. Swearing and cursing himself (or at least that’s how I would interpret ‘If I you no repair my motorcycle today, make thunder fire me!’), he proved to be very unreasonable.
Azuka hates getting in conflicts, especially when the person whose side he should be taking is being an ass, so I paid him for his services, accepted the apologies of the nice lady, and boarded another okada with side mirrors — I’m never getting on any without them again.
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
Sorry o Azuka, Thank God u live to narrate this.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Dude,
Great to kno u’re back posting afta such a long hiatus (i waitd all thru march n stopped checkin for a while). Funny, afta fallin of one okada u continue on yet another. U b true naijaman
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:48 am
God no go ‘gree dem.
Nothing do you!
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Glad to know u didn’t get hurt. I don’t know what side mirrors would do for u cos those okada drivers don’t seem to use them.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
“Is there some law of nature existing only in Nigeria which renders women incapable of driving properly?”
nah, there’s some law of nature rendering women incapable of driving properly all over the whole, wide, world…..
(note the sacrasm before you start hacking me)
June 5th, 2008 at 4:32 am
Glad you came out unhurt. Okada men can be so reckless, did a post on them a while back.
Welcome back to Naija, its a really interesting place.BTW, why do all them driving school peeps always have to use a weather beaten Volkswagen beetle?lol!
June 7th, 2008 at 3:19 am
My dear, that’s naija 4 u. Sorry 4 the acc. Never 4get to caution them when you observe they’re on speed. Happy to hear that you are back to motherland. This is ex-staff of Ndeesystems. Enjoy your stay.
June 10th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Long time Azuka! So how’z naija been so far? Good i hope. I’ve been laffing hard at that “other half” post of yours.
What were you thinking? Chucky in Child’s play.
Takia
June 12th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Hey, Azuka. Ndo oh. I’m glad you’re okay.
But lol…I’m imagining you and the okada man on the floor. Hahahahaha.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:25 am
Hey.. Whats up? I got something for you
July 17th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
double standards that is like the norm
pele and good like with the side mirrors okada
September 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Everyone
Thanks for everything.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:33 am
first of all, let me just inform you that i’m doing a very complicated relief and overexcitement dance right now.
your blog was one of the first blogs i started reading, in fact, i vividly remember the night i read it…chai! i laughed, and the humour charmed me..
for the loooongest time, i couldn’t trace my way back here, and it infuriated me!! so i’m rather mad-happy right now!
Now, on to this post. Really weird coincidence because i was recently discussing this with the driver, how some very close shaves in traffic are immediately disspelled with “oh, na woman sef”..it is SO funny! how all is forgiven and the fact that it’s a woman driving “explains” everything..humph! yay for us though :P..
and LOL at the okada rider cursing himself…oooh, and you’re a PH blogger too!?!?!?!?!?! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! lol *this comment is already too long
September 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am
The Ice Queen
May I do a complicated jig as well? Welcome back.
So where in PH do you stay?