Preyes Home

Damn, thought Preye, am supposed to be rounding my secondary education in the orchard metropolis , but here I am in a boat stuck in the middle of the Niger. Open the throttle to the full and apply maximum engine power, ordered the Captain of the boat. The engines of the boat screamed as if it was at the point of death and yet the boat wasnt propelled forward. Preye looked out of the window and discovered that they were even going with the tide and wondered what could stop the full engine power of a boat this big from moving forward, and decided to follow another line of reasoning which said, the boat is stuck in sand.

After stressing the engine for close to five minutes, they turned back and it was as if the boat was released from a spring and it took some time for the engine power to bring it to a halt and propel it forward. He was relieved to the see the boat taking another direction, and this time it passed smoothly and everybody in the boat turned their heads to look at the part of the River Niger that refused to let them pass.

Preye opened his bag and brought out the binoculars he was given by his friend Donald, whom he protected and choose expulsion instead of turning his friend in. From the binoculars, he could see the waves in swirl motion, holding back anything floating towards it at a good length. Preye wondered what would have happened if they had gotten to that great turning circle on the river. Probably they would have turned right in and continued turning till they got to the bottom of the river. Maybe that would have been better than going back home to face his parents and community that were looking up to him as the one that would come and enlighten them with civilization and more importantly English, especially as they lacked communication with the outside world, thought Preye. He smiled and thought; maybe I could still teach them English and tell them I am through with school.

He remembered that morning had started like every normal morning and he and Donald, being from the Oily Lands, although Donald had never been to the Oily Lands but had gone to the Western countries several times. They left the school toilet and went down slope, where they normally free their stomachs before hurrying to catch up with the morning devotion.

I can remember that morning bath earlier than the others, like every normal morning and while others will be having theirs, we are already eating breakfast after which we leave the crowded school toilet for down slope where we free ourselves. Preye thought.

After freeing ourselves, we always went in search of wild berries before going for the morning assembly. On our way back from the berry hunt, we met some big boys down slope smoking a filter-less cigarette and they offered us as peace offering so we would not report them to the school authorities.

Donald collected the cigarette and took a puff, while I ran away and Donald threw the cigarette and ran after me. The boys chased us and we were lost in the bush path and found ourselves behind the principals office, while the morning assembly was on.

We turned to the left wing of the principals office and saw Sir Aw walking towards us. We were prepared for flight but Sir Aw acted as if he was not interested in us and passed, only for him to sneak on us from behind and seized us by our waist lines. He asked us why we were late and we told him we were to lock up the hostel after everybody had left for the devotion. He looked at Donalds belt and ordered him to take it off because it was black and only brown was allowed in the school. We pleaded with him but he refused and pulled us into the principals office. Before entry, he said he perceived a funny smell and that it better not be it or we are finished.

We got into the principals office and after Sir Aws explanation, the principal ordered Donald to remove his belt and give it to Sir Aw, which he did. After thanking the principal, we turned to leave but Sir Aw told the principal that he perceived a funny smell from us, so the principal told him to sniff us properly. He smelled me and as he sniffed Donald, he twisted his nose like a frowning monkey and said Mr. Principal this boy smells of smoke.

What! The principal screamed and stood up from his cushioned throne, where you might find him snoring if you sneaked up on him. Common, open your mouth, ordered Sir Aw. And after that he said, um, um, Mr. Principal this is more than smoke, it is filter-less cigarette. Immediately, I winked at Donald to run for his life, and he understood and ran out of the door immediately and luckily for him the devotion was over so students were scattered all over the place and he mingled with them and was lost.

Sir Aw and the principal threatened me with expulsion if I do not identify Donald, whom i denied ever knowing. Sir Aw reminded me that I identified Donald as my partner in locking the hostels. Preye remembered how Sir Aw had said, Aw... this boy is not good, after he acknowledge telling Sir Aw that the boy was his partner, but he also claimed he said it, so Sir Aw will leave them alone.

The keypads of the typist started clicking few minutes after Sir Aw left the principals office and the emergency bell was rung as soon as Sir Aw went out of the principals block. Preye knew that the worst that could happen will be an emergency assembly called, with him standing beside the principal. What publicity, he thought and since it was not his obituary, then it certainly was not a bad publicity either.

He knew he would be questioned about Donalds identity and he was already suspended regardless of Donald, so now it was a matter of if he wanted Donald to go down with him or not and he was not going to get Donald involved in this, no matter what they say or do. And if they identified Donald by chance, he would deny till the last, that Donald was not the one. Donald's parents were going to support Donald as I exonerate him, Preye he thought.

The horn of the boat brought Preye back to himself. He was home now but those two strange aircrafts parked by our shore calls for questioning he thought and returned his binoculars to his bag. At first he thought they were ships but a closer look with his binoculars revealed they were aircrafts used at sea.

What else could that mean if not that the Western crews imagined all my life are here to introduce some of the comforts of the West, or the federal or state Government have come to our aid, he thought and jumped out of the boat as soon as it touched the jetty. He did not stop running till he got to his compound and the people shouted for joy and the whole villagers crowded at his fathers house to welcome him. He hugged his parents and sat down to talk with his dad, while his mom got him his favorite dish of plantain pottage also known as K.K.F.

Some men from the West have come to our aid but we do not understand what they say and we relate with them as if we are deaf and dumb, his dad said in their native language. They say eng-lish, but we do not understand them, he said. His mom brought his food and he sat down and devoured it as he was hungry.

The king of the village was at their entrance with four white men, escorted by the Elders and council of Chiefs. His parents stood up and bowed when the king was close to them but the king told Preye to continue with his meal, but Preye packed his plates instead and was about to leave for the kitchen, when the king ordered a Chief to take the plate from him but his mom rather took it and left.

They all sat down and the king told Preye he was appointed as the official interpreter to the Western world and that he will dine and wine with the king daily, so as to give him some knowledge of the Western language.

After few moments of silence Preye stood up, with his left hand placed behind his waist and his right hand extended, he introduced himself. Hello am Preye, and you are? The crews were surprised at his boldness and he caught them off guard because they looked at each other, each hoping the other would respond.

The king was stunned. What if they could not understand Preye he thought? I am Malcolm and this is my assistant Vincent and these are my crew members Claudius and Sylvester, he said. I am Gilbert, and this is my assistant Richard, Gilbert another crew leader said pointing to a man with flight gear and a pair of binoculars strapped across his neck. And the other two laughing behind are Harry and bob.

Where are guys from? Asked Preye. We are from the Western world, replied Gilbert. Which country in particular, he inquired. We will prefer not to disclose that for reasons of National security, said Malcolm. What brings you here, asked Preye, a little angry that they put him off like that. We have heard so much about the Oily Lands and we decided to come down here to see things for ourselves and explore the potentials of foreign investments, so as to introduce civilization to your nearby villages, said Malcolm.

The whole Elders of the village watched Preye question the men. He interpreted Captain Malcolm's views to the king, who explained to the Elders and they gave a loud round of applause after several minutes of consultation. I think they have accepted your presence and they promised to give you access to the whole village and they told me to compile a list of all the natural resources available in our region and I will write down speeches of the Elders and their views, in regards their daily plight, and the list is meant to be submitted when you guys get back to the West.

It is Ok by us, replied Malcolm. Then I have got to start immediately, but first of all we need to collect the historical archives of the Oily Lands, and a house will be assigned to you and I am sure you will be hungry, Preye said and spoke their language to the king who hurriedly gestured for them to follow him

They passed through the kings palace, which was an ancient Victorian with a gate beside it. The kings palace was fenced with cement blocks imported from the city. Straight through the gate stood an uncompleted block house that had gotten to roofing level, and without being told they knew it was a new palace for the king. A ram tied to a metallic scrap was licking its mouth deliciously after nibbling on the branch of a palm tree placed in front of it. On the left was a concrete water reservoir with zinc linking the roof of the buildings placed on the Western part of the Chiefs compound. On top of the water reservoir sat a young black man with a pink cup by his side and fleece of plantain used for flour. The Eastern part of the kings compound comprises of a 1935 modern of building which was obviously the toilet and besides it, the kitchen was situated. In between the toilet and the kitchen laid two wooden cages and two dogs, chained to a blue abandoned grinding machine.

Right in front of what Malcolm presumed to be the toilet stood a silver metallic tank with two blue metallic washing basins placed on top of some grinding stones, brooms, fire-woods and a tripod fire stand with a bottomless aluminum bucket resting on top. They were placed in a corner of the compound and directly opposite it was a yellow barrel accompanied by a flask and some plastic buckets. A straight rectangular house linked with a good number of rooms adorned the West wing of the compound. And the beauty was made complete with the flowers lined in front of the straight triangular house.

They passed the primary school, which contained four blocks on the right and two in front with their country flag placed in the middle of the school premises. Little boys and girls were running all around the school and they were screaming with delight to see men with white skins passing the road that runs through their school. And to crown the excitement, they saw their king, accompanied by someone they knew, Preye. Preye, shouted couple of kids and the whole school joined the chorus.

Their teachers came out and threatened the children with their canes, but the children seem to enjoy the game of running around with their teachers, because when they were chased from the left they moved to the right and on and on they continued till the king and his entourage had passed the school premises.

They passed a church and saw a woman who wore a white garment and cap with a blue band around the cap, tidying up the church premises with a local broom made from the branches of a tree fastened together by a cord. After passing the church Preye stole a glance at the field on the extreme left and saw what he expected. These sixth grade guys always prefer playing football to sitting in classrooms. Anyway what will they be doing in class when they lack teachers and the few that are available are still being owed couple of months, Preye thought, and wondered why one of the goal post lacked a goal keeper. As the ball approached the post without a keeper, the tree behind the goal post dropped a person that was fast enough to catch the ball and climbed up the tree after kicking the ball out.

Meanwhile the Captains and their crew were having a lovely time, seeing squirrels cracking shells, monkeys jumping from tree to tree and the fragrance of the beautiful petals they lusted after filled the air. Captain Gilbert was happy he had his video recorder with him, as he happily covered anything he found interesting, after which he will insert the memory card into his laptop so he could save it on his hard drive or upload it to Captain Martins on the Carrier.

I forgot to send a short message to Captain Martins when I went to take something from the aircraft, though Gilbert, I will return to the aircraft to brief him after we have sent for the historical archives of Oily Lands. I will make photocopies and get it sent to him, thought Gilbert. I am sure he will be glad.

They got to a sandbank and after a little walk they got to the river and saw several canoes tied to sticks placed firmly in the river. What is that? asked Malcolm and pointed to the left and they all turned only to see a man surrounded by a group of people that were singing clapping and walking behind him. The man had the tail part of a python out of his mouth while the rest had been swallowed by him. The tail of the snake moved from the left part of his mouth to the right. Captain Gilbert went closer and covered it with his cam coder. They were baffled by the mysteries in Africa but could not stand the sight of the man pulling a half foot python out of his mouth. Gilbert tried to remain calm as he covered the man pulling the python out of his mouth, but he depleted his initial thoughts of requesting the man an interview, with Preye as the interpreter.

They left in a convoy of three wooden boats with an engine placed at the back of each for better propulsion. After what seemed like a couple of hours for the crew, which was only actually forty five minutes, they got to the bank of the compound of the historical archive in the Oily Lands. They were heartily welcomed by the Chief who ordered that the archives be brought before him and funny enough he spoke Pidgin English.

While they were waiting for the archives over a keg of palm wine, a hunter ran to the Chief and narrated an incident that just occurred to him.

After the story, they Western crew concluded that the story was too impossible to be true. I was out hunting in the forest of monkeys, and I saw an antelope which I trailed to the bamboo forest but as I was about taking a shot, he was attacked by a gorilla that employed a rather unusual method by aiming at it with a gun. Meanwhile other gorillas looked on. I found that abnormal and opened fire on the gorillas leg and he spoke our language asking me to spare its life because it belonged to the family of the juju priest. The other gorillas mobilized to attack me but I chased them away with a couple of bullets and ordered the talking gorilla to reveal itself immediately or be shot and when it was obvious he was not going to reveal itself, I put two shots through the head, the hunter said.

I beg the Chief to please order for a thorough test of the hunter and while he was still speaking, two men brought the body of a hunter with two bullet shots through the head and one through the leg and dropped him in front of the Chief, bowing and they wanted to explain when the king raised his hand and put a stop to their explanations. Who is this man, asked the king? He is a juju priest and a hunter that does not really talk much. Preye pinched the Captains sitting on his right and left and whispered to them to prepare for a mystery of Africa.

Let him be tested for evil deeds the king ordered them and some men got five big and heavy stones that they had difficulty in lifting. They tied two to his legs and another two to his hands with one on his chest tied round his back.

As they all walked towards the river, Malcolm asked Preye what they were up to. They want to see if the dead hunter can float with stones tied all over him, replied Preye. Captain Gilbert and Malcolm looked at each other wordlessly; while Richard asked Vincent if he earlier knew about these dumbfounding mysteries in Africa, Vincent shook his head without replying.

They all walked for a few miles to the river bank. Thats the fetish priest coming with a bottle of locally made whisky in his hand, Preye whispered to the crew who dreaded the stale air of silence around. The crew saw a man on the far end of the river bank, with a wrapper tied around his waist, a leaf in between his lips and on his left hand was bottle and his right held the legs of a native chicken that flapped its wings in continuous motion. They all watched in silence as the fetish priest gave each of the men carrying the hunters corpse a sip from his bottle, after which they all walked into the river till it got to their chest level carrying the man tied with stones and they dropped the corpse turned back in unison and walked out of the river.

The corpse actually sank for a few minutes and all the on lookers shouted as the corpse was submerged, but out of the river came the corpse with great force and started to spin around and around and it continued floating and spinning around the river and the whole crowd shouted, Boo! Boo! Boo! Lets get the hell out of here, said Malcolm and was walking away, when Captain Gilbert said, I think I have seen enough to last me for a lifetime, come on guys lets get the hell out of here.

They were sneaking though the crowed when the king caught up with them and pleaded with them to be patient with Preye as he took it for a joke. I cannot put up with that anymore so I am returning, and its either you get us the archive and documents now, so we can leave this village or we leave the Oily Lands for the West, said a western crew member. The king sent for the Chief who seemed to understand and brought the documents to them, ignoring the commotion caused by the floating hunter. Thanks, said Malcolm. We will send it back as soon as we make photocopies. You can keep it because these are not the original but backup copies, the Chief said and bowed. I must attend to my people now, he said and left.

Nobody spoke to each other on their way back until Preye broke the silence. I know this is a little surprising to you, but we have been putting up with worse things over the years. What is the West like; I mean the people and their way of life asked Preye. When no one responded he continued, I had a friend in school called Donald who always went to the United States for holiday. They all looked at him. Seeing he had caught their attention, he said I wish I could go to the West. You will, replied Captain Malcolm.

The king said something to Preye in their native language, and Preye said to the Western crew, our king said he is sorry for the shock and embarrassment the scene must have caused you. Its OK, they all replied in chorus. Did you get the visual of our trip; Captain Gilbert asked. Yes replied Richard and took off his glasses for the first time since they left. The glasses transmitted everything I saw to the monitor in the aircraft and the aircraft carriers control room and I am sure Captain Martins will have enough mysteries to fill his mind and make him wonder, said Claudius.

Can we just glance through some of the documents since it is obvious our ride on the water will take a while, asked Preye? What do you mean by a couple of hours, asked Captain Gilbert? The tide on the route we came through is very high right now, so we have to take the longer and safer route and since I knew youd soon be bored, I decided to offer the historical documents to you, said Preye. They shared the documents into eight parts and they all wondered if they could ever read the documents completely due to the number of pages, at the same time wondering how they managed to get the documents typed.

Preye understood the thought going through their minds and said the documents were typed in the city and sent to the various communities to be preserved for historical purposes. I hope our light wont attract more mysteries from the sea, because I would not want our boat suspended above the water due to ignorance on our path, said Sylvester. It is alright to put on your lights Preye managed to say because he was torn with laughter and holding himself back.

The Captain glanced through a document that said the states that produce oil would have cause to smile because they are meant to be richer by N7 bIllion or thereabout. The money is their benefit generated from the 13 percent derivation from oil that was approved by the Federal Government. The beneficiaries comprise of the nine states that make up the Oily Lands.

The N7 bIllion, which is gained from the 13 percent derivation for the first quarter, would be shared among the nine states. The president had on the end of the first quarter, during visit to the south eastern part of the Oily Lands, gave his approval to the 13 percent derivation and promised that the payment would take effect from the beginning of next year.

The president also explained that the payment of the 13 percent derived from the account of the federation was for all natural resources gained from the economic development of the nation and not confined to oil and gas alone. However, it was confirmed that only the nine oil-producing states would receive the gains from the N7 billon to be released, along with allocation to other states, funds and agencies from the national account.

Inner sources said the directive of the presidency was received by the federal finance ministry, that from the beginning of next year, 13 percent of the revenue of the federation account from natural resources be set aside for allocation to the states. The ministry had been working on the arrears and trying to determine the natural resources that came from each state to the center.

It was learnt that only oil and gas that were being reported for at the center, while no other mineral came from any other state that could call for the necessary 13 per cent.

The yardstick used to measure the 13 percent derivation was that, revenue from any resources must reflect in the national account and from the amount in the account, the 13percent would then be set aside to the beneficiary state. It was only oil and gas that met the standard, hence the setting aside of the 13 percent, which amounted to about N7 billion.

Approval for the increase of derivation to the states from 3 per cent to 13 percent was given a year earlier, but was not effected until a year later. The minister of justice advised the president in a letter, to give instructions to the ministry of finance to pay with effect an amount equivalent to 13 percent of revenue from natural resources to states where they are produced.

It was learnt that as revenue from the resources from other states comes into the account of the federation, the equivalent of 13 percent would be drawn from the account to the beneficiary states. I cannot believe these people are still living in a condition that is not fit for a pet in the Western world, thought Captain Malcolm and continued reading because he found it interesting.

Captain Gilbert rubbed his left jaw against his left shoulder, being oblivious to his immediate environment and lost in the detailed report in his hands. He flipped over to the next document and it said, six of the youths from the Oily Lands who took part in the abduction of some workers of a drilling firm have been offered automatic employment by the company. The workers were kidnapped by Oily Land youths who belong to the youths movement at a local airstrip where they were to board a flight to a development companys location in the heart of the Oily Lands.

Although the kidnapped workers have been released following a deal arranged with the director of youth affairs, the youths claim their reaction resulted from the fact that the drilling firm had earlier laid off their relatives without any relevant cause.

The workers of the oil drilling firms, after they were released, proved to hail from some states in the Oily Lands and they said the abductors were demanding for N2 million ransom and a written undertaking from the oil company that they would employ as much Oily Lands youths as possible in their various locations in the Oily Lands. Gilbert yawned and looked at the other members of the crew, who were obviously lost in the manuscripts they were holding. He picked up another document that said these facts are contained in a message from the president; the president appealed to the youths of the Oily Lands not to direct their strength to destabilize the country which he said was being threatened by some unscrupulous elements.

The president also enjoined the youths to be vigilant and beware of such people in the nation, who he described as enemies of development. Our country is greater than any individual. It is the only nation we have and we must persist relentlessly to keep it united. If we allow it waste away, we entirely destroy the nation, the president said, adding that we must, therefore, learn to live together in oneness, being made strong by our common race, culture and heritage

The message further stated that the present administration is coming up with programs and policies which are aimed at tackling the problems facing the restive youths, pointing out that the problem of violence carried out by youths have taken a dangerous dimension in the institutions of higher learning, such ugly and indiscipline behavior, he went on, have led to loss of lives and property.

The president stated that among his policies aimed at addressing the problems of the Oily Lands youths include the implementation of the basis universal education, reduction of poverty and skills for graduate and undergraduate. He further stated that the federal government was convinced that one of the ways to solve the problems of youth militancy and disruption of oil operations and to ensure sustainable development and peace in the Oily Lands was to train the restive youths in skill acquisition.

This route is quite far, said Captain Malcolm and Preye our supposed guide is far asleep. Who says I am asleep, asked Preye. I actually thought you were, said Captain Gilbert. I was thinking of making a film with the events you cover throughout your stay in Oily Lands, so I can go to Hollywood and make it available to the world, said Preye with a wide smile spreading across his mouth. He has heard about Hollywood, said Vincent. Nothing is impossible Preye just keep your fingers crossed, said Claudius. We will discuss with our superior to know his view of this matter, said Captain Gilbert.

How far are we from the village, asked Captain Malcolm? We have covered half of the journey, said Preye and looked at the king who was fast asleep. I guess I still have to continue reading the documents, said Captain Malcolm after running his fingers through the band holding the reading light to his forehead.

He picked up a document that said, if I had the whole finance available in this country, it wont be sufficient for me because I will always ask for more. Do not be too expectant about the extra funds in regards to the 13 percent derivation formula because it wont be enough, were the response on how the additional funds approved for the Oily Lands based on the derivation principle of revenue sharing, will be spent.

It further stated that the complex nature of the area is such that no amount of money will at the moment be sufficient to solve the development needs of the Oily Lands. It also noted that the Oily Lands need enormous funds to execute meaningful projects, insisting that 13 percent derivation was not fully acceptable. It stated that the 13 percent was only the irreducible lowest provided for in the constitution, stating that the room for improvement is still very wide.

Dissatisfaction was expressed that the federal council refused to approve the new formula to reflect effective date from the middle of the year instead of beginning of the next year. However, thanks were expressed for approving the release of the funds.

Water problem had to be tackled in Oily Lands, the dream university put in place, development of housing projects and splitting and opening as many roads as possible as an obvious indication of some priority areas of concern in future. However, the natives of the Oily Lands region were always hindering themselves from getting projects for development, with their demands for compensation whenever their lands were about to be used for development purposes.

An obvious example was a road construction project, which was stopped midway when members of the community appeared, with some of them building shrines and making demands for huge sums as compensation. They exaggerate the amount they ask for to the extent that projects are delayed. Shrines appear suddenly and they often hinder contractors from working. That is one of the factors responsible for the under development in Oily Lands.

Quite interesting that these documents contain so much, thought Captain Malcolm and picked up another document that talked about a line being drawn between the executive and legislative in Oily Lands. They are not in agreement over the controversial public funds management committee, which the executive refused to give its final consent to, several months after it was passed by the legislative.

In the bill, the legislative stated that no funds will be released by the executive without the approval of the public funds management committee. Reputable members of the committee who are supposed to give their final consent to the release of the funds spent by the executive in accordance with the bill are incidentally the heads of the respective arms of both the executive and legislatives. The legislatives view as expressed in the bill, was that the responsibility to check the spending of the executive, thus the bill was within their jurisdiction.

When the executive refused to give his consent to the bill, the legislative met a two-third majority passing the bill into law, since it has had more than the 30 days required. However the executive, sounding firm, disclosed that the bill was not endorsed because its provisions were irrelevant and could not hold water. The executive said it was supposed to be based on the principle of power separation because if the three arms sit down, connive and spend all the money, there will be no arm left to check each other and it will be irrelevant.

Captain Malcolm dropped the document and yawned. He was contemplating a quick nap when he discovered the canoe was approaching the river banks. Hey guys are you still lost in reading the documents, he asked. They all looked up and discovered they had finally arrived.

These archives are quite interesting said Sylvester. It is so unfortunate I did not find anything about mysteries, did you? aked, Vincent. They all said no. I guess they were not meant to be written said Preye and jumped out of the wooden engine boat with the spectacles on and his hands were filled with documents as he tried to catch up with the king that was far ahead of his escorts. The third wooden boat showed to a stop and the escorts all jumped out at the jetty.

This is too good to be true, said Captain Gilbert, pointing at the big fiery red ball of sunlight partially submerged in the sea. I did not believe I could behold such beauty in my whole life and besides, this sunset is too beautiful to be real, said Captain Malcolm.

Did you guys hear about the clearing of the royal pond that they have never bailed, asked Preye. The escorts in the two wooden boats boasted about their hunting skills and how they were assembling more warriors from the nearby village, said Claudius. I overheard them talking about the resources available in the pond and how some fake warriors from the nearby villages assembled themselves to go through the nun and forcados river but fled when they were attacked by some elephants said Bob.

How come they speak English, asked Captain Gilbert. They are from Kaiama, the Local government headquarters and they are boat drivers that seem interested in the wealth they hope to discover in the pond. We should accompany their village warriors if we are invited by the king, Henry said. I think we need to receive the order from Captain Martins first, suggested Richard.

They were a few meters away from the aircraft when Preye told them he had a confession to make. His Royal highness, the king told me to plead with you guys to please assist the hunters in clearing a path to the ponds, whose specific numbers were not known and if you agree the hunters will leave the day after tomorrow but after chatting with you for sometimes I lied to him that you promised to think over it, Preye confessed. It is a plausible lie, said Captain Gilbert and looked at the faces of the crew. They all nodded and went into a fit of laughter. Preye felt a feeling of relief washing over him.

They entered the aircraft and saw a message from Captain Martins, ordering them to wait for the crew of Captain Harry, who will join them and together they will return to the aircraft carrier. Captain Malcolm dialed the aircraft carrier and each of them spoke with the Commander of the carrier and he consented to their demands of helping the local hunters find a path to the ponds. However he ordered them to get in contact with Captain Harry, whom he promised to transmit a message to. I will send a message to Harry and his crew, so they can assist you in rendering services to the villagers, but you will give them your location as soon as you arrive at the island where the ponds are located and you are to remain in your aircrafts till Harry and his crew joins you, ordered Captain Martins through the phone.

Sir, the people here are in need of a revival and they acknowledge they need Christ, so you can send some Christian literature and supplies, said Captain Malcolm. Sir, the young man with us wants the right to produce the visual of the events in Hollywood, Captain Gilbert said and was surprised to see Preye plug an ear piece and told the commanding Captain to make provisions for HIV enlightenment campaign, lest they find none when they returned to tackle the problems of the Oily Lands people.

What you know about the problems affecting the Oily Lands, Captain Martins asked through the phone. Enough to make you marvel, replied Preye. Can you brief me on all you know, asked Captain Martins. I can, but it might take all the night because I sometimes feel words are insufficient, replied Preye. I can spare the night but I hope you do not mind if I record our conversation, asked Captain Martins. I do not, replied Preye and winked at the whole crew, who were having a difficult time trying to conceal their laughter.

Sir, I introduced him as a young man, but if I must correct myself he is much younger than you are anticipating, said Captain Gilbert. That does not concern you in anyway, does it, asked Captain Martins. Sorry Sir, replied Captain Gilbert. My young man ride on, the Captain said and Preye resolved to tell with a nothing-held-back attitude.

We the indigenes of Oily Lands were taught many valuable lessons at the time that nearly rendered us useless, Preye said. During that time we got to understand the deceit involved in having dictators rule over us because it became clear that they contributed a great dead to our poverty in the midst of abundance.

We were compelled to be battle ready in case the ex-dictators raise hands against any elected civilian controller. Despite all these opposing factors I just mentioned, there was a ray of hope, Preye said and looked at the faces of the crew and they gave him encouraging nods. This point is being made for a specific reason among a lot of reasons because some state leaders are bent on restoring sanity in the Oily Lands, Preye said.

The state controllers of the Oily Lands states arrived at an agreement that it was necessary to provide the basic things of life for their citizens. Among all the controllers of the various states in the Oily Lands, one of them decided to make the agreement a reality despite other external pressure, Preye paused to catch a breath, after which he continued.

He is the state controller of the Nations pearl base, who took over power in the pearl base when every aspect of human life was in bits and pieces. Clash between neighboring communities and the height of violence compiled with the declined economic situation, made workers doubt their fate because it was all crowned with severe hunger.

Something similar occurred in the West, when a president went into office on the 14th of September 1901, when the West were in their worst condition due to the collapse of their trade, banking, stock decline and the set-back suffered by farmers. Obviously the controller of the pearl base state seem to take after the path of the great Western president, who by bringing about a resolution to execute what had been conceived through foresight, initiative and decision, changed the Western economy and influenced the particular way they acted.

The great Western president explained to the people what, why and the likely effect of his actions in a simple and familiar way they understood. The similarity between the great Western president and the controller of the pearl base are identical, said Preye. Hello Captain are you still there, asked Preye. I am listening to you dear, Captain Martins replied.

We have all night, right? Asked Preye, of course ride on, replied Captain Martins. Among the development brought by our own great controller in the pearl base include free transportation for school children, provision of water and electricity to the people and construction of roads, Preye said. As a matter of fact, he is highly involved in people oriented program that is why the orchard metropolis stands out as a unique city.

Talking about the implementation of the minimum way, his systematic care and concern of the average workers welfare made him the first among the elected controllers of the various states of the nation to implement the new minimum wage, Preye said and asked for a glass of water and Richard immediately gave him a bottled spring water after removing the seal and cock. The controller of the pearl base influenced the new salary structure and even went as far as paying about thirty percent above the recommended minimum wage before the federal controller did, said Preye.

How come you know so much about the pearl base, asked Captain Martins? That is where my secondary school is located, replied Preye. I know that a lot of questions will cross your mind, but I assure you that the controller of the pearl base is as effective as the federal controller, concluded Preye.

I did like to have an insight into the motive behind the formation of several associations in Oily Lands, asked Captain Martins. From my point of view, the motive behind the formation of various associations in the Oily Lands is dependent on some factors which includes inward discontentment, communal conflicts, reports on environmental degradation, unemployment and poverty as a result of many years of neglect and isolation. It is widely accepted that the flaring of gas in the nations pearl base alone results to 35 million tons of carbon dioxide yearly, which implies that the oil fields in the pearl base alone add up to global warming than the world put together.

This hazard of the environment in addition to the economic condition that is daily being reduced has contributed in rendering the people destitute in the midst of plenty, despite the fact that the area contributes over 90 percent of the nations total income, replied Preye.

Is that the reason for the diverse associations, asked Captain Martins? To a large extent because this brought about the frustration that led to a point where military groups from the area sprang up and wracked havocs that led to the destruction of lives and property. The lack of development and the immediate response the situation needs points out that the problem should not be left for the government alone to handle.

As a result, people with a lot of experience from the various profession ranging from engineering to all the other relevant fields from the Oily Lands origin came together to form the various association that they hope would form plans to on how to transform the Oily Lands by supporting development and stability in the Oily Lands, Preye concluded and all the members of the crew present in the aircraft applauded Preye.

The economic enslavement of the Oily Lands people has been there for a long time and I know it is a very sad one but why did you guys have to wait this long before coming up with associations to the problems of the Oily Lands asked Captain Martins. I believe you are aware that these associations does not have any religious or political interest at heart, as they intend to enlighten our fellow countrymen in the North, east and West on the real plight of the Oily Lands people and that will hardly be achieved if they allow politics or religion interfere.

They must have waited this long because home was not built in a day and since nothing good comes easy, they had to take their time and exercise great caution while planning and executing, replied Preye and took a sip from the battle of spring water that was on the table beside him.

I am sure the impact of the various associations is being felt because anybody that is aware of the low standard of living of the Oily Lands people, acknowledge that we have a point, Preye said and waited for a few second and continued since the commander wanted him to continue with his explanations.

The issue here is that these associations want to go into research, to complement the efforts of those seeking a lasting solution to the crisis of the Oily Lands region. At least with the assistance of these organizations people are aware that there are people known as Oily Lands whose problems words cannot completely express and people now know that our problems are real.

In essence, we have been misunderstood wrongly judged by a large number of people in relation to our sufferings and we generally as a people, because people lacked awareness of our plight that is better seen than said. That is why these associations comprising of intellects of the Oily Lands origin that have proven themselves in different fields, united to participate in the search for peace and lasting solution to the plight of the Oily Lands, Preye said.

Hello Captain, do you know what, he asked. What, asked Captain Martins on low tones because he was touched that a boy as young as Preye felt and understood the sufferings and discomfort associated with the Oily Lands. People know that those involved in the struggle of the Oily Lands are not touts because some of those out there know about our plight because these associations have created the awareness, Preye said with a smile on his face.

I have just one more question for you, Preye, right, asked Captain Martins. Yes, replied Preye. And we are through with this, said Captain Martins. What effects do you think the issue of environmental pollution, have in the daily lives of the Oily Lands people, Captain Martins asked? For some time now the waters of the Oily Lands region are being polluted by oil and birds are even affected in the area due to air pollution. Oil explorations contribute a great deal to the pollution of the environment and the air could be harmful on human health. The pollution of air is enhanced by deceased wildlife species and the dying number of aquatic life.

My history teacher in school taught me that the people of Oily Lands are supposed to stand for their rights to a safe environment and lively hood that are contained in the charter of Human and peoples right signed by African heads of state in 1981. He also taught me that it was an established fact that an oil company based in the nation is trying to make global warning a reality by the flaring of gas in the Oily Lands thereby producing more greenhouse gases in the nation than all the houses in a specific country in the West.

The protein consumed by our people are mainly derived from fishes and a larger percentage of the people of Oily Lands depend on it and other aquatic animals for almost half of their protein, but for some time the waters have been polluted by oil, Preye said.

The Captain applauded Preye and thanked him for his explanation. How come you are full of the knowledge of the Oily Lands asked Captain Martins? I was sent to school at the orchard metropolis because my people do not understand English, so I was their hope of a revival in my village and I could not help but learn all I could about them, Preye said. That will be all Captains; I wish you a safe hunt but remember my orders and bring Preye along with you, because he is returning home with us if his parents give their consent, said Captain Martins. Yes Sir, they all replied and the line went blank.

I wish I could ask the young man some questions, thought Captain Martins as he listened to further instruction from the defense head quarter in the West. The entire question he asked Preye were passed to him directly from the defense headquarters and Preye's answers went straight up to the headquarters. well I think my ass is clean, just in case there is someone to receive the blame of asking irrelevant questions, thought the Captain as he pressed the intercom and ordered the supplies department to fill a boat with STD preventers,, bibles, tents, stage, canned foods and other supplies necessary to carry out an open air crusade tagged, Oily Lands for Christ.

He transmitted information to Captain Harry and his crew ordering them to join the two crews in their attempt to create a path to the virgin ponds and to return to the aircraft carrier after the hunt. He updated Harry that the other crew will return with the young man Captain Malcolm and Gilbert said was their guide, as he had clearance from the defense headquarter in the West.

I will leave for the orchard metropolis in the pearl base to meet the elected state controller that Preye compared with our great president but first I need some facts about the pearl base from Preye, which I will get when I meet him personally after the hunt and clearing of the pond, thought Captain Martins, but his curiosity got the better part of him and he found himself calling the line he had just used in communicating with Preye. Malcolm picked up the receiver in the midst of their chat with Preye and the Captain ordered him to put Preye on the line, which he did.

Can you give me the profile of the pearl base as a state with emphasis to the orchard metropolis, asked Captain Martins? The state earned its name the pearl base of the nation because it is the heart of the hydrocarbon industry that is responsible for a huge part of the nations foreign exchange earnings. It is one of the various states that make up the nation and it was created by decree No 19 of May 31, 1967.

The pearl base state in the Oily Lands has a flat plain topography that is fit into an outstanding connection of tributaries and rivers. Some of the rivers include new calabar, orashi, sombreiro, Bartholomew and Bonny. The lovely climate added with many rivers and vast areas of land used for growing crops, make the people of the pearl base predominantly fishermen, farmers and traders.

The state that has a population of about 3.9 million and is a home to a happy, satisfied, friend and business people. The orchard metropolis is the state capital and it is the 2nd largest commercial and industrial center in the country.

It is the nations second busiest seaport and this wonderful city has a busy international airport with links to other parts of the country and major cities of the world. It also marks the eastern terminal of the nations railway system.

The orchard metropolis has four degree awarding institutions and the city is therefore a place for quality skilled manpower in the arts, humanities, sciences, management, medicine and engineering. The pearl base has two refineries, petro-chemical plant, fertilizer plant and liquefied gas plant.

It has an excellent telecommunication and transport network, low crime rate, reliable power supply, efficient banking and hotel facilities.

The democratic government of the pearl base under the state controller is building on past years with renewed will, and determination to keep the state in the leading position it has always been in the nation, Preye concluded. Is that okay with you Captain, asked Preye? That is exactly what I needed Preye, the Captain replied and thanked him. I am looking forward to meeting you, Captain Martins said and the line went dead. I cant believe the commander is looking forward to meeting me. The great West, here I come, thought Preye and yawned.

I did not know you were this intelligent, said Captain Gilbert neither did I replied Preye and took a dive at his sleeping bag. Feeling sleepy already, asked Captain Malcolm. Not really, replied Preye. Then you would not mind telling me about this Western president of yours in disguise of a state governor asked Captain Malcolm. What exactly you want to know, Preye asked. Nothing specific, the Captain said.

Lets say there is a village on the outskirt of the orchard metropolis and the naturaly arranged green leaves adorn the road that leads you to the orchard metropolis. Several blocks of orange colored flats recently sprang up from the village surrounding, to compliment the housing project of our great Western president disguised as a state controller. These flats that are samples of about 3000 units that are located in all numerous local governments of the pearl base were commissioned by the federal controller. I was privileged to visit one of the flats with a classmate in the part of the orchard metropolis, known as Rum and I realized that the buildings contain six flats each and the floor of the sitting room is lined with blue and white tiles, which is a corridor that opens up to two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and a toilet.

My classmate, whose dad is a civil servant, said the government plans to create a program that would allow the civil servants pay through deductions from their salary over a long period of time. He said the state controller promised on his introduction ceremony to build a thousand housing units within a space of a hundred days, but commissioned a thousand two hundred units after a hundred days thereby exceeding his goal by twenty per cent, Preye said.

Housing is not the only problem because the cost of health and education can control the fate of many children. The elected controller of the pearl base state was thoughtful enough to estimate the cost of treating the sick child and transporting a child to and from from school and discovered it affects the family income. For this to be checked, he provided free health for children and Elderly ones above sixty years and a constant source of transportation to take the pupil to and from school and even went as far as paying examination fees of secondary school students in their final year.

For health program to be effective, the administration had to rehabilitate clinics, hospitals and referral centers to save patients the pains of walking through long distance to receive medication.

The administration decided to come up with better solutions to keep dirts off the streets by allocating specific areas to refuse collection operators to manage. The industrialization strategy of the administration is based on encouraging small and medium scale production, by providing reliable power supply that has led to the buying of transformers to replace the old ones and the buying of generators to light up various communities. Although this plan of electricity is temporal because the state has some transmission lines in areas supplied with generators and the lines will be expanded because the state electricity will soon use gas turbine to generate light and run its own lines to transmit to customers.

He finalized all the roads began and abandoned by the others before him and few are being constructed to neighboring communities and the state airport, and I think that is all I know about this great Western president in disguised of a state controller, said Preye. Lest is forget he has a lovely wife with a pretty smile that is reaching out touch lives Preye concluded.

Good night all, he yawned and turned to sleep. The crew looks at each other wordlessly and realized that they had learnt more from Preye than they would have learnt throughout their stay in the Oily Lands. Captain Malcolm could not help wanting to meet this state controller in person. He made a wish and told the crew good night.