The Panhandlers

He met them right after somebody called everyone in their category "Lazy"

He had observed them for a while

All they do was eat, drink, bet, watch tv and blame the government for their woes

Permanent daily occupants of a bar

He decided they needed a light out of the darkness

He had hardly sat down when one of them approached him

"Bros, wetin dey for your boys nah"

He bought them beer

All 12 of them

They got talking

What did you study?

Political Science, Insurance, Marketing, Computer Science, Economics, Sociology!

Six of them were graduates

What!

The others were artisans, a photographer, two tailors, a glass cutter, a driver and a vulcanizer. Ironically, the graduates loiter about every day while the artisans hustled for work only to return to the bar in the evening and give crumbs in beer and cigarettes to the graduates

Every day as he arrived to the bar, the graduates will cheer. Hailing him! He collected their CVs, started championing their cause. The six of them had worked as Insurance Marketers before, they were laid off for some reason and had remained redundant since. He called in favours

He got one a job. To work as a porter at the International airport. One down five to go. He got to the bar, told the young man the good news. The pay is 50k a month but tips are the cherry at the top. If you conduct yourself properly and impress on duty, tips can come in forex

The young man looked at him. "Me? Work as a porter. Can you give that kind of job to your brother? How old are you sef? You cannot be older than I am, you surely didn't have a better academic qualification. It is time and chance. Here you are acting like you are superior to us"

He didn't believe it

He started work on a 30k salary four years before

Even at that moment he was earning 70k and here he was getting insulted for getting someone a job that will earn him 50k per month. None of the other five accepted the offer

He didn't give up, they needed help

His estate introduced mini-busses. He knew one of them could drive. Would you be interested in driving a mini-bus within my estate? The take home is good and the estate is responsible for the maintenance of the buses. All you need do was drive!

He got a blunt No!

How do one help people who obviously doesn't want to do anything productive with their lives?

One eventually agreed to work as a Personal Assistant to one of his friends. He did the job for all of three days!

Why did you quit? He asked.

"I had to wake up early, for how much?"

He got frustrated

Wrote the following on Facebook "I know some graduates who simply didn't want to do anything reasonable with their lives"

They saw it.

Took offence

They confronted him

He apologized. To appease them, he bought a crate of beer

They drank and cheered!

One of them approached him, "Please I need some money to rent a house

I was staying with my brother

He got married and kicked me out

Any amount would do sir"

This was the same guy who refused to drive a mini-bus!

He got into his car and drove away

He never went to the bar again