Meet Azeez.

He was tiptoeing from one end of the classroom to the other when I winked at him and then he smiled. I held him by the hand and walked towards the window. In less than 15 seconds we had become friends and had begun talk. He was such a delight to talk with; and even though his command of the English language is challenged, he speaks English and whenever he’s stuck, he switches to Yoruba.

I ask him since when he’s been coming to the library, “Me, I started coming in J.S. 3; now I am in S.S. 1.”

“Why do you come here?” I ask.
He answers: “I love the stories I read in books so I come here to read those stories.” Then he begins to smile again. I ask about his friends – why none of his friends are around. He answered: “My friends used to come – we all used to come but then they stopped. I asked them why they stopped but they didn’t say why, but I always see them when they’re going to play ball on Saturdays in their own school.”

I ask him what school he attends, he says Ojo High School. I ask if he loves to play football, he says that he used to but not anymore. He says now, he just watches football when he can. I ask him what club he supports, he says in Yoruba, excitedly, “Hala Madrid ni o!” The smile on his face widens when I ask him to mention 3 players in Real Madrid: “Ronado, Sajo Ramos ati Bae” the “l” in the names always disappear.

“What would you like to do after you leave Secondary School?” Azeez breaks into a laugh, like it was an easy answer. He answers: “Mo fe join soja!” (I want to join the Nigerian Army) I ask him why and he replies: “I love how everybody respect those Army people in their uniforms. I want people to respect me too.”

When I ask him how he plans to join the Army, he laughs, almost tilting his head to touch his shoulder. Gleefully replies: “It is easy. I have joined the Man O’ War and some of our Masters have friends in the Army. They will help me talk to their friends and I will get in.”

Photo credit: Amogunla Femi Kayode