Chapter 3: Face-to-Face With Oga

Musa Bello dey hum, dey trim small palm tree wey dey his table. The guy just dey relax.

Na small potted palm, like the one dem dey buy for Shoprite, but e dey cut am with pocket scissors as if e dey prune company future. Even the way e smile, you go fear say he dey plan something for inside.

“Director Musa, why you transfer me like that? I do anything wrong?”

I balance leg well, voice calm, but my hand dey shake inside pocket. Na so e be when you dey face senior for office, but your chest dey boil.

He no even look my face. “I dey promote you from M4 go M5. Wetin you still want?”

The man just dey act like say e dey dash me gold medal. E face dey shine from powder, but e heart dry pass harmattan.

“Promotion or exile, na you sabi, Director Musa.”

I bend head small, make e no too look like I dey challenge am, but I lock eyes with am last last. My papa dey talk say, "If goat dey chop yam for your farm, at least shout."

*Snip.*

The sound cut ear, like when mama dey clean fish for kitchen. The thickest branch for the palm drop for table, e roll small. Silence fill room.

Musa Bello cut the thickest branch for the palm.

E look me that time, like say he dey size me for tailor shop. "People wey dey hold onto old ways no dey help new progress."

“For my team, everybody gats dey one mind. No space for person wey no dey cooperate or dey lazy.”

E tone sharp. Na so I remember the meeting for morning.

Flashback hit me: the man walk enter conference room, spray everybody with English, full confidence, chin up like person wey just win bet. He open presentation, chairman dey nod beside am.

Musa Bello talk with full confidence say he don promise chairman: within six months, Zennex Group go launch their first concept car, make e face Tesla direct.

That talk sweep everybody, some clap small, but most people dey hide laugh. For Nigeria, six months na time to build fence, not car.

I quick talk. “How that one go possible?”

My voice low, but the question loud. People for meeting shift body, dey wait make thunder strike.

To build new car normally dey take two to three years.

Everybody for industry know say all this "rush rush" fit land person for wahala. Even our suppliers go say, "Oga, we no fit deliver transformer part in one moon."

For Zennex side, even if dem rush, na at least one and half years e go take.

We done dey try am before, e no work. We get local engineers, foreign consultants—na so the thing dey drag.

Musa Bello wan do car for six months. Na story for tortoise.

If this one work, na miracle. If e fail, dem go find who to blame.

As I talk my mind, the thing vex Musa Bello.

You suppose see as e jaw tighten, e face change. Small sweat begin show for him forehead. For office, dem go say, "Don touch the lion tail."

“Other people dey build car from scratch, but no be us. Zennex don dey do autonomous driving for ten years, we get partnership with car companies, factory, architecture—everything dey. Why we no fit build car for six months?”

He talk am with pride, “My own style be say, I no dey leave escape route. Na why Abdul choose me lead this business.”

Abdul—na the chairman. I hear say Musa Bello and chairman na school mate for abroad.

Rumour dey fly say the two of them dey play squash together for London those days. Some people talk say na this their connection give Musa Bello boldness wey e dey show.

With that connection, he just waka come first day, dey look everybody finish.

No shaking for am. If e talk, you go see say na him get final say. Even some old managers dey try adjust, dey praise am small-small.

My mind dey race. Na so so wahala dey my head.

I dey imagine how e go be to dey waka up and down as ambassador, dey beg clients wey no even rate Zennex. The thought alone dey burn my liver.