Insincerity.

I had spent about four months at home as a result of a strike embarked upon by ASUU, the union of University teachers in Nigeria. After months of negotiation with the government, the union suspended the strike and it was time for us to resume. At that particular time, my dad was not having enough money to finance my return to school. I was moody and was thinking of the way forward.

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I wish this rain we have been expecting falls. I am sure that I would get a farm to work on and raise the money.

This was my thought. It was in the last days of March and the rain for the start of the farming season was being expected. In the previous years, the first rain of the year was mostly recorded within the last days of March till the first few days of April. Many farmers had made preparations waiting for the rain to fall so that they could kickstart cultivation of their farmland for growing varieties of crops such as tomato, cassava, cocoyam etc.

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The only option left for me was to pray for rainfall in order to have where to work to raise money to augment what my father raised for me. Luckily enough, God answered my prayers and rain fell within four days. The rain was heavy and all were set for the farming season to start. Early in the morning of the following day, my father woke me up so that we could go to the farm to plant corn in our yam farm. It was a mixed cropping system. We barely stepped out of the house when a man, Peter, whom we shared a farm boundary with greeted us and told me that he was coming to see me.

I have come to see you regarding my farm work. We thank God that the rain has fallen. I want you to help me cultivate my farmland. Last year when you were in school, I suffered in your absence because the people that I hired didn't do it perfectly the way I wanted.

Well, immediately I saw him, my mind already predicted what he was looking for me for. I had worked for him for many years in the past. I was very happy when he confirmed my prediction. However, I was skeptical in accepting the job offer because I didn't know how my father would react. I didn't want to prioritize working to raise money ahead of working for my father in his farm unless permitted by him. Excitedly, my father replied to Peter before I decided on what to say.

He will come and meet you in your farm in the afternoon. Let him help me for today before you give him your contract, my dad jokingly said.

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In the afternoon I went to meet him in the farm to see the piece of land that I was to help him cultivate. We inspected the land and we took the estimate of the number of workforce needed to get the job done. Peter told me that he wanted the farm to be cultivated in three days but I told him that I would talk to my friend so that we can do it in 6 days. His fear was that the land shouldn't get dry if another rain didn't fall in time. I gave him the assurance that the land won't get dry.
Immediately I got home, I contacted my friend, Adamu about the work. I told him everything about what the man wanted and how I pleaded with him to allow two of us to spend 6 days doing the work instead of four of us doing it for three days as the man initially wanted. He agreed and the following day we started the work.

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Some parts of the land were covered with debris and as we were cultivating the clear parts, Peter was clearing the debris on the other parts. As we were all doing the work, Peter mentioned once again how he preferred the work being done within three days. I reassured him that he should be patient and that we will do the work. I wanted to use the opportunity of the six days of work to raise the money I needed to return back to school. We finished the work for the day and returned back home in the evening.

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The following morning, we arrived at the farm to meet the biggest surprise of my life when it comes to trusting people. We met Dollar, Adamu's elder brother on the farm working. I was confused and I asked Peter what was happening. He was surprised at my question. He made a gesture to Adamu to comment but he was mute. The question that occurred to me immediately was about who informed Dollar of the work and who connected him with Peter in particular.
Perhaps, without being told, I knew it couldn't be anyone else if not Adamu. I asked him and he was short of words. He later pleaded with me that it was the man, Peter, our employer that pressed it on him to get him additional hands so that we could finish the work quickly. I was more disappointed in my friend for the fact that the person I took with me to do the work was the same person that now took such a decision without my knowledge.

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In the evening of that day, I went and met Peter. We discussed and I registered my displeasure on how he bypassed me that he knew to have such a deal with the person I brought to work for him.

I will never do that. Adamu came to meet me yesterday and told me that he agreed with you to get someone to join you to do the work. He said he came to meet me so that I can prepare the food of three people. I believed him and I didn't bother to reach out to you to confirm.

Peter explained to me and when I denied the knowledge of such, he picked his phone and called Adamu to see him immediately.

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When Adamu came and the issue was discussed, Peter was disappointed in Adamu for his level of insincerity. He told Adamu and his brother never to come to his farm to work again. Peter then asked me why I wanted just the two of us to do the work for a longer period than he wanted. I explained to him that I was trying to raise money to return back to school. He told me to look for someone else to join me to do the work for as long as we could.

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That night, another rain fell, and all of us became confident that the land wouldn't be dry earlier than envisaged. That was how I contacted another friend and we did the work for another four days.

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My greatest surprise was when I met Dollar on the farm that particular day.