Ghost, Ghost Ghost!!! Everywhere Ghost...

My Encounter With Percieved Ghost......
By Tobi  SAM...
Published/ Edited by Mfoniso Sam

In our modern times now, we no longer need to dream bad Dreams or visit strange places before we see Ghosts...Yes.

They live and breathe around Us.

I woke up early enough one fine morning in Akwa-Ibom state to make it to the Eye Clinic on time and possibly be one of the first three patients the consultant was to attend to. They say the early bird catches the earthworm. By being one of the first three patients there was a fair chance of finishing before mid day, rush home, do my laundry in time and prepare for Sunday. I finally made it to the reception hall panting mouth wide open as I desperately tried to catch my breath. Four patients were already sitted. So much for all my efforts I told myself. Well number five didn't seem to bad a position, just two places outside my target and as such I could still finish in good time.

I took my sit and waited to be given tag number 5. I was bewildered to see number 14 on my tag and considered calling the nurse's attention to the mix-up. On a second thought perhaps the number 14 meant 1+4. It crossed my mind that the best time to search for the black goat was before night comes. I sought to know what happened to number 5. I was politely told 'Mfoniso SAM' you are number fourteen (14).  My eyes are not that bad, I can only see four persons with my physical eyes here, I can here the voices of four waiting patients and count only four with my fingers. So I asked "where are the rest nine" that have pushed me from number 5 to 14? They were there, I just couldn't see them and don't blame me. The ordinary eyes were not meant to see the 'non-ordinary'

My encounter with ghosts precedes and extends beyond my visits to the hospital. In the University it was common to have an average class attendance of 50-60 students during lectures, only for the number to be thrice as much on the day of exams. Some called them non-academic students, others called them off shore students but I knew better. They were ghost students. They had registration numbers but no faces. They never attended classes, neither did they do assignments. A few of them showed up for exams, whatever the case they often got better grades than those of us that were made of flesh and blood. Where there are students, there will be lecturers. So ghosting was not only done be students, I had ghost lecturers. There were like oracles, they could not be seen or approached. Their high priests were course reps, mediating between them and us across the great divide. We only knew their names and spoke about them in hush tones with fear and trembling. The last thing you wanted was war against ghosts.

They were also invisibly present or perhaps absent during my youth service days. Most of them never camped, the few that did never made it to their PPAs. I heard rumours some were doing masters degrees overseas, some were doing businesses in other parts of the country. Well, when time was up and we had to pass out, a good number of them were available . A more ghostly number of them never showed up at all. From the first parade in camp on the hills of Okene to Sagamu (Ogun State)  to the last salute on Passing Out Parade (POP) day they were never seen. They were neither in the rain nor under the sun in service of motherland, but like flesh and blood,  like ordinary mortals they passed out and are in custody of their discharge certificates.

These Ghosts are everywhere. In a society like ours they have similar or even greater rights and privileges than those that can be seen and touched. Memories of the 2007 elections just crossed my mind. Sitting by the radio waiting as results filtered in, the results were funny although they were not laughing matters. In most of the results from the pooling centres the number of voters that voted in favour of one party exceeded the number of registered and accredited voters. The reason for the mysterious positive difference left me bewildered. I didn't know then what I know now; that ghosts live and dwell among us or is it us among the ghosts? They perform civic duties and determine winners and losers in matters as weighty as choosing governors and president.

You find them in the civil service earning monthly salaries. They are also amongst retirees receiving pensions. Respect them, regardless of the fact that you don't see them. They have their rights and contribute in no small way to society's development and under development. To challenge them or deny them of their entitlements is to wage war against what you can't see. There can only be one winner. Ghost patients, ghost students, ghost lecturers, ghost workers, ghost pensioners, ghost dads and ghost mums; did I just hear someone whisper ghost president?

Mfoniso Sam

Mfonisosam@gmail.com

©2017