By David-Chyddy Eleke
I have a bad habit. Either on weekends or on Mondays (which have now almost officially become sit at home days), I pick my laptop, dash into any hotel of my choice and enjoy myself by surfing the internet, researching on diverse topics, writing outstanding stories, while enjoying cold beer.
Those are usually some of my best moments. The practice has become part of me, and some of the best story ideas I get are usually while musing aimlessly on the internet.
Last Monday, while on a similar voyage, I ran into Kayode (not real name though). He is a computer analyst, who was in Awka from Lagos for a job. He was a guest in the hotel where I visited, and from his conversation with his friend which I eve-dropped on, he has been day in the hotel for close to a week. I guess the guy he was having a conversation with was the manager of of same hotel.
“Abeg, make I do go meet my family for Lagos, before Awka girls with beads for waist and chain for leg go finish me.”
From his conversation, his experience showed him that the cheapest commodities one can find in Awka were women.
I have lived in Awka for years, and each time we discussed with other residents, we always wondered why Awka was so expensive. Rent is expensive in Awka, food stuffs are expensive. Other commodities don’t come cheap, yet, Awka is just one ancient blacksmith city that lacks any form of finesse, aesthetics or beauty. Very totally unplanned in terms of streets and building, no fantastics roads, nothing.
Save for Obiano’s three flyover bridges in Awka, I’m sure any child born and breed in Awka, who didn’t have the opportunity of traveling outside Awka, would never have had the privilege of knowing what a flyover looked like (even though Obiano’s three flyover bridges are considered thoroughly substandard).
The only landmark institution in Awka, which has uptil tomorrow remained it’s definer, is Nnamdi Azikiwe University. But as timid as she (Awka) is, as hard as Soludo is working to bring his African Dubai-Taiwan dream to reality in Anambra, the town has remained backwards, yet very expensive to live in.
Kayode however thinks that the high cost of living in Awka is a huge contrast to the cheapness of girls in Awka.
“Within one week wey I don stay here, which kind girls I never see?” He asked rhetorically.
“Underaged girls, abi na fine, expensive looking but cheap girls? Married women own na another whole wahala. But wetin dey surprise me, na how cheap dem dey.
“Apart from that first night, wey your receptionist direct me go Abakiliki Street, I never go there again.
“Wetin I wan go find there, when wetin you need there, dey everywhere, even for Aroma Junction? Even for the office wey I come do work sef, I tell you say most of the babes dey market, including the married ones.”
Kayode may be very hard on Awka girls in his analysis, but he may not be entirely wrong . What Awka is lacking in Aesthetics, it is making up to its disappointed visitors in beaded waists, chained legs and pierced noses.
“Bros, make I finish this job go meet my family abeg, before all these girls wey carry bead for waist, with chain for leg and nose ring go deceive me abeg.”
Kayode’s experience is not away from what many other visitors of the famous blacksmithing town of Awka have observed.
