Nigerian government-owned parks will never cease to amaze me. The stress! The arguments that always seems to arise from nowhere, the rudeness and the most annoying part, the loaders…
I mean, where in the constitution is it written that you have to settle someone to carry your luggage into a vehicle when you have already paid for your fare?
They walk up to you with all boldness and say, ‘madam, money for your load?’
It makes me wonder, what exactly am I paying for? Is it the weight of my luggage on the bus? Did the bus complain to them that I did not hear? Or, is it the carrying of the luggage inside the bus? I brought the bag from my house, I can carry it inside the bus, thank you very much!
The worst part is the outrageous amount they call when they charge you for loading, ‘madam, that your bag na five thasand’ they would say, whereas, your fare is just 2500 naira!
At this point, it is your level of JJC that will save you from spending a lot of money. You could choose to pay 100 to 1,500, it all depends on how much you can either smile, beg, speak language or do gra gra.
I fell mugu once. I paid about 2000 naira for luggage alone, for a fare that cost me 3,200 naira. Well, on my part, I would say, that luggage was particularly massive and also, that was my one and only time I fell for that nonsense which will never happen again!
But then, I often wonder, what’s the rationale behind charging for loading luggage in a vehicle when traveling?
