By RARZACK OLAEGBE
The inevitable will happen. When it does, how prepared are you? Two years ago, you were unprepared for the present epic movie. Even the ‘seers’ were unaware of the screenplay. The stage was not even set then. Then, suddenly, the movie is in production. Light. Camera. The subsidy is gone! Yes, it is gone for many people. To the extent that, job losses have tripled. Many homes cannot light their cookers.
The cost of refilling the gas cylinder has soared. Kerosene is in hiding. Charcoal is on AWOL. Petrol is gallivanting. It is here today when the loading batch is ready. It is gone tomorrow when the batch is not loaded. No one can tame the bitch. Because of this liquid bitch, many car owners have commercialised their vehicles. This action brings ‘extra’ income into the family purse. It feeds the family. It keeps the light on.
On the one hand
Some die-hard Nigerians have refused to commercialise their cars. They enter commercial buses. Sitting pretty in their garages, their cars have become objects of admiration. To preserve the cash flow, they hit the road three times in a week. Yet, some cannot still feed their families. That is why Coco is dying.
On the other hand
The owner of Coco – a shepherd dog – was a staff of a defunct fintech startup. Since the demise of the business, life is topsy-turvy. This man has become a ghost. He comes home at night. He sneaks out before dawn. He pulled both ends. But the ends refused to meet. No, he is not lazy. He is a genius. Anyway, you know when it rains, it pours. His song is a lament.
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In the long term
Coco’s owner was in a dreamland when the fintech company got funds from investors. The business was flying. The employees were in a high spirit. The fintech’s minimum valuable product (MVP) was out of this world. The efforts have paid off. All doubts were gone. Morale was high. The idea received backing and the goal was set.
You may not hear the background hum. Many of the fintech firms that crashed did not lose funds. Some lost faith in the drivers. Some lost partners. Some lost their heads.
While this fintech start-up thought it was starting up, the inevitable happened. One of the brains behind the idea had japa! Others could not land the aircraft. It crashed. Promises were broken. Harsh words were spoken. And Cudjoe’s dream died.
You may not hear the background hum. Many of the fintech firms that crashed did not lose funds. Some lost faith in the drivers. Some lost partners. Some lost their heads. Some fintech firms that are flushed with venture capital money and promised to revolutionise savings are no more. Dreams die.
Cudjoe’s fintech firm was in that category. He could not fend for his family. He had applied for loans from every apps so much he could not apply again. He understands how the ‘parade’ moves. Running a loan app is not like getting a haircut. If you do not recover your loans from applicants, you are bleeding cash. Soon, you are dry. Soon, you are out.
When Cudjoe cannot feed his family, pay his children’s school fees, do you expect Coco to survive with the subsidy gone? Giant with shinning curls, her tongue dripped with spittle as she pulled at the leash whenever she was on her evening walk, Coco could not stand erect. She was a skeleton. She had been surviving on the generosity of neighbours who threw bones at her. The bones have stopped. The neighbours, too, need the protein.
In the short term
Yesterday, Coco slept. She did not wake up. The vet doctor could not revive her. Now, her pen is empty. Coco has died. That is the inevitable.
*Olaegbe ([email protected])
