According to a Facebook user, while being under the hot sun in the city of Abuja, he was trying to get a cab to his destination when finally one came by and stopped and to his surprise it was a girl in it. Here is what he narrates on that day"Y'all are going to have to be patient to hear this story.
So, I am waiting by the roadside for a taxi in Jabi when this unmarked taxi pulls over. I look inside and the driver is a girl! Yes, a girl! In an eloquent English, she asks where I'm headed and I tell her. A moment later, we are on our way.
Throughout the ride, I try not to stare, try to act as if this is the most natural thing in the world. A female taxi driver! I can't take it anymore so I turn to her, and blurt out.
"Hey, I don't mean to embarrass you but are you really a taxi driver or you're just trying to make some money on your way?"
She laughs. Obviously, she gets these types of intruding questions all the time.
"This is my real job. Yes, I'm a taxi driver. It's what I do for a living" she says.
I should've left it at that, but my degree in Journalism won't let me. So, I ask her why she chose this job over the other types of jobs. Makeup, cake baking. Even Instagram twerking.
She responds with a laid back confidence, "I like being a taxi driver. There's a satisfaction that I'm my own boss. I don't have to wait for the government to provide a life for me".
In the middle of our conversation, her iPhone rings and she tells the caller she'll call back, that she's taking a client to his destination.
Me? A client? In a taxi?? Wow!
We get to my destination, somewhere in Gwarinpa, I ask for a selfie. Cos I'm terrible at taking selfies, she graciously takes my phone and snaps a couple of shots. And cos I can't get over myself, I pay a little more than what we initially agreed on and she hands me her business card. What class! At this point, whatever admiration I had for her has turned into pure respect.
After the taxi skids off, I am just standing there, replaying our conversation in my head. And her words keep echoing back to me:
"I like being a taxi driver. There's a satisfaction that I'm my own boss. I don't have to wait for the government to provide a life for me".
For anyone out there acting like the world owes you something, or acting like you are too good for certain types of jobs, let that sink in. Hope this inspires someone out there."
It's probably awkward in other countries for his to make the news, but here in Nigeria young girls like this are hardly found especially due to stereotyping of certain jobs in the country.
Posts
Post a Comment