VALENTINE IN LAGOS....

VALENTINE in LAGOS....

First of all i need to clearly state that i am a certified night crawler.

I enjoy the serene tranquility that darkness affords me. The heartwarming silence of Lagos at night.

No people; No traffic and most of all no deadlines.

So it came as a complete surprise to me when i stepped out of Spaice lounge in Surulere (my regular hangout) around 11 p.m. and the street was packed with people strolling leisurely. I blinked a few times to reassure myself that i was still sober as cars zipped past me along Ogunlana drive.

Really? Ogunlana drive? The same Ogunlana drive that was usually deserted by 9 p.m.?

There was a soft buzz in the air as people walked past me holding hands and in no apparent hurry to go home. There was a glazed look in their eyes like they didn’t have a care in the world.

Hmmm. Strange. Had everybody in Lagos been abducted by Aliens whilst i was inside Spaice lounge and were just making their way back home?

I shrugged and made my way to the unusually full bus stop at Masha where there where Men and women alike, dressed rather colourfully and chatting animatedly.

I boarded a bus.

As soon as i alighted at Costain bus stop, i got the shocker of my whole night trotting career. I stared stupefied at what i could only call a nocturnal anomaly.

Packed back to back around the Costain round about was a regular Lagos-bred, full grown, king-sized traffic hold up.

At 11 p.m.? How? Why?

I looked around and the expressions on faces was not the usual harried look from home bound office workers and city hustlers but something totally different

Then it hit me.

And everything suddenly started making sense. The strange red haze everywhere; On Cars, clothes and everything else.

It was Valentine’s Day! Silly me.

And here i was of the erroneous notion that Nigerians don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day and the whole City has proved me wrong.
My face lit up in a smile as i regarded the people again this time from a new perspective. They seemed happier, less stressed and relaxed, even in the midst of the harrowing traffic.

Hmmm.

If Valentine’s Day can totally transform the Lagos populace this way, then i subscribe to the fact that it should be a monthly affair.

All in favour say Aye!