Reflections on Workers’ Day and Rural Realities

Today is a public holiday across the federation. It is a day dedicated to celebrating workers in Nigeria. Nowadays, it seems quite different from what we were used to back then. I remember when I was still in secondary school, on Workers' Day like this, students would be made to march at the stadium. But such occurrences are gradually fading into oblivion. I don't know what policy has changed or hasn’t, and it’s unclear what exactly we are to do about it. I think this is a matter for the state government, as each one seems to have its own unique way of doing things.

Since today is a holiday, I didn’t go to work. I decided to devote the time to working in the garden. When I returned from work yesterday, I was surprised to see that the weeds had taken over the entire garden after just two days of rain. On a positive note, the maize we planted is already bearing fruit. I’m sure that in about two weeks, it will be ready for harvest. That’s one of the benefits of farming, now I won’t have to buy corn, and I can even make pap from it. It will surely reduce my expenses on foodstuffs, allowing me to focus more on other things at home.

I also wanted to mention that my rabbits are doing fine. The two adult females recently gave birth, and the babies are doing well now. Initially, I had a challenge with them because I had to reconstruct their shelter due to the heavy rains. When I checked on them today, I noticed that the baby rabbits have developed from their reddish state to having fur covering their entire bodies. Just looking at them brings me joy, especially considering how much I’ve spent on their feeding. Twice a month, I have to buy their food in large quantities, and now that they’ve given birth, their feeding needs have increased significantly.

I also had to deal with a stubborn goat. Goats are not easy to rear. They can eat and destroy things at will, and if you chase them away, be sure they’ll return in no time.

This evening, while writing this, I heard news about another student from our school who was involved in an accident. Although she hasn’t resumed school since the holiday, and today is a holiday, it’s not the school's fault. It was a ghastly bike accident, and she sustained bruises all over her body. Personally, I feel a bit disturbed, especially since bikes have been banned in Lagos State. If the state government hears about this, it might lead to even tighter regulations on bike usage.