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For Fred Agbese
(not real names), weekends are bad for business. For the past two
years, he had steadily raked in money for his subsistence, from giving
piggy back rides to willing commuters across the Trinity Bus stop, one
of the numerous spots which become heavily flooded after a torrential
downpour at Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

He was among the
six young men who were stationed at the bus stop, following last
Saturday’s early morning rain, to ferry people on their backs across
the expressway.

The piggy back
business has become popular in Apapa, Oshodi, Ikeja, and other areas
with poor drainage which results in massive flooding after a heavy
downpour.

With the torrential
rain which began at about 3 a.m, last Saturday, grounding the entire
metropolis; human traffic at the bus stop was sparse.

“Very few people
pass here on Saturdays and Sundays. But on other days, we get a lot of
customers,” said Mr. Agbese, an Edo State indigene.

Different customers

According to Mr.
Agbese, their clientele ranges from ordinary commuters to bankers,
civil servants, and even police officers. Fares range from ₦N50 to
₦N100 depending on the bargaining prowess of a client.

“If to say this
rain fall yesterday (Friday), all these bankers here,”’’ he said,
pointing at a Zenith bank branch near the Trinity Police Station at the
bus stop.

“On ordinary days, I make as much as N₦3, 000 if rain fall well well. But weekends like this, we no go see anybody to carry.”

A typical Lagos hustler, Mr. Agbese said his main job was off loading goods from the warehouses in the area.

Praying for rain

Apart from praying
for a torrential downpour, especially on weekdays, he said he also
prays for vehicles to get stuck in the flood.

“If motor spoil for
the road, we dey collect at least N₦5,000 from the driver. If the motor
dey new and the owner get money, we go collect N₦10, 000,”’’ he said.

Last Saturday’s
business was sporadic. Three of them were positioned on each side of
the expressway and, sometimes, they’d stand for an hour without a
client.

However, every time
an unsuspecting commuter, who in the act of wading through the flood
unaided, misjudges the exact location of the drainage and plunges into
it; patronage seemed to shoot up.

A commuter, who identified himself as Emma, vehemently rejected the idea when he was approached for a piggy back ride.

“I will never try
it. How can a man like me climb another man’s back when nothing is
wrong with me? God forbid,”’’ said Mr. Emma, a trader at the nearby
Trinity spare parts market.

Unlike thein
commercial buses, where police officers and other uniformed men are
tagged ‘staff’ and, therefore, are exempted from paying fares; Mr.
Agbese said the piggy back business does not recognisze any category of
people.

“Dem (police officers) dey collect salary so if he want make I carry am, he go pay. But we dey charge them small money.”