By The Evangelist News Desk
ABEOKUTA, Nigeria’s economic reality may have finally reached the literary heights of Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka at least, that is the impression created by a viral story linking his famous okada ride in Abeokuta to the soaring price of petrol.
The image of the respected playwright sitting behind an okada rider has since become a perfect symbol for a country where four wheels increasingly look like a luxury and two wheels are fast becoming the new national transport policy.
According to the widely circulated claim, Soyinka could no longer comfortably fuel his two cars at about ₦1,500 per litre and therefore opted for the humble motorcycle. But there is a small problem: fact-checkers have found no verified statement from the Nobel laureate saying that fuel cost was the reason for the ride. The motorcycle journey itself happened, but the fuel explanation remains unverified.
Still, Nigerians need little imagination to understand why the story resonated. Petrol prices have continued to hover around ₦1,400 and above in several parts of the country, with reports putting prices in Abeokuta around ₦1,400–₦1,450 per litre in September.
And so, in the Nigeria of today, the question is no longer whether a Nobel laureate can ride an okada. Of course he can. The real question is: how long before the okada rider starts calculating whether he can afford the fuel to carry the Nobel laureate?
Welcome to the new mathematics of survival where the car is parked, the generator is silent, the fuel gauge is treated like a national security document, and everybody is looking for the cheapest way to get home.
If Soyinka’s okada ride teaches us anything, it is this: in today’s Nigeria, economic hardship does not check your CV before knocking on your door.
