Chaff man

Once upon a time, for the University of Calabar, trouble dey sleep, yanga go wake am. Na inside this university, you go find plenty fine boys and fine girls wey just enter school with dreams for their eyes. Dem wan learn, dem wan succeed, but sometimes, life go take dem play draft.

My name na Emeka, but everybody just dey call me Emekus. I come from one small village for Abia State. My mama been dey sell akara for market, and my papa na mechanic. I be only pikin for my family, so you fit talk say I be the hope of dem eye. As I carry myself enter University of Calabar, my heart dey do kere-kere. I sabi say na opportunity life dey give me, and I no go fit waste am.

As I enter school, I come discover say plenty boys dey form big boys. Dem dey wear the latest clothes, carry the biggest phones, and dem dey follow fine girls up and down. Some of dem na "big men" because of dem connections for the black axe cult, one of the most dreaded cult groups for the university. People dey fear dem, and some people sef dey respect dem.

The black axe cult bin be like dream to me. I been hear stories about dem wey make my mind dey do gish gish. I been hear say dem dey get plenty money, dem dey control things for school, and dem get respect everywhere. For my small mind, I think say if I join dem, e go be like paradise. E go be like I don finally arrive for life.

One day, as I dey hustle my way for library, I jam one of the members for black axe cult. Hin name na Tony. Tony just dey come out from one big jeep. E be like say na him be the alpha and omega for the campus. I muster courage, waka go meet am, come dey hail am like say I know am from time.

"Chairman! Chairman!" I hail. "Na you be Tony, the number one man for this school?"

Tony look me from head to toe, hin face con soften small. E talk say hin like my energy, say I get potential. We come dey talk, and hin come ask me whether I dey interested to join black axe. My heart skip beat as I nod my head sharply like agama lizard. E tell me say e no go easy, but if I ready to pay the price, say na big things go dey come my way.

As e talk so, na so my heart con dey do gbim-gbim. I begin imagine the life wey I go live as black axe member. I go get plenty money, I go dey control things, girls go dey follow me up and down. My dream na to be like Tony, to be the chairman of the whole school, and I believe say black axe go give me that chance.

I follow Tony go one secret location wey dem dey call "The Shrine." Na inside that place, e be like say dem dey worship different kind of gods. Dem begin give me one white shirt, one red bandana, and dem come give me one knife. Dem talk say I go use am swear allegiance to the cult. For my mind, I just dey think say e go be small thing. I never know say na just the beginning of my suffering.

As I swear, blood begin dey pour from my hand. Pain just con dey tear my body as the knife touch my skin. I con dey regret small, but na too late to turn back. The members con begin hail me, dey call me "Capo," say I be grand member now. The joy wey I see for their eyes just dey ginger me, but little did I know say e go cost me everything.

Life as a black axe member bin be like double-edged sword. On one hand, I dey enjoy plenty respect from people. Boys just dey fear me, and girls just dey flock around me like bees to honey. I dey control things for school, I dey feel like say I be king. But on the other hand, the pain wey I dey see, the things wey I dey do, e con dey give me sleepless nights.

Dem con give me assignments wey I no fit talk. Dem go ask me to collect money from students, threaten dem say if dem no pay, dem go suffer. Some of dem go even send me to beat person wey dem say don offend dem. The first time dem give me that kind job, my heart con dey do koi-koi. But I no fit say no. If I do, na my life go just end for that spot.

One night, we con get one big fight with one rival cult group. Gunshots just dey fly from left to right, people just dey run up and down. I see person wey I know, person wey I go fit call my friend, hin life just con end like that. As I see am fall, fear catch me for neck. Na so my own life con dey flash for my eyes. I realize say I don enter one chance.

That night, as I sit for my room, the noise from the gunshots just dey echo for my head. I begin dey think about my life, the dreams wey I bin get, and how everything don scatter scatter. Tears just begin fall from my eyes as I realize say I don enter the world wey I no suppose enter. I regret say I allow peer pressure push me into cultism.

The next day, I waka enter Tony room, my heart just dey do like drum. I tell am say I don tire, say I no fit continue like this. Tony look me with pity for hin eyes. E talk say e understand, say e bin dey the same position wey I dey before. E tell me say make I run for my life, say make I no turn back, say make I find better thing wey I fit do with my life.

Na so I take run. I leave everything behind, my dreams, my "big man" status, and I begin find my way back to reality. I realize say cultism na dead end, na road wey go only lead to sorrow, pain, and untimely death. I go school to learn, to succeed, and to make my family proud. I no fit achieve that one for inside cult.

Today, as I dey look back on those days, I dey thank God say I see sense. I don rebuild my life, start from scratch, and I don make something of myself. I dey work for one big company now, and I dey do well. But the scars from my cult days still dey there, reminding me of the foolishness wey I do for University of Calabar.

If I fit tell you one thing, na to run from cultism. E no worth am. No matter how things dey tough, no matter how much you wan belong, e no worth am. Life na like book, you get different chapters. Cultism na one chapter wey go just spoil the whole book. So make you shine your eyes, make you no allow peer pressure or shattered dreams push you inside cult. Na road to nowhere.

And to all those wey don enter cult, I fit only pray say dem go see sense like I see sense. Make dem find better thing wey go bring joy and fulfillment for their lives. Make dem learn from their mistakes and make better choices. Life na precious gift wey we get, and e no worth am make we waste am on top cult matter.

As I close this chapter of my life, I dey hope say my story go touch somebody, make person change their ways. Cultism no be the way, my people. E no be the way at all.