13/09/2025
Part 6
Fola balanced the wooden tray carefully on his head as he walked through the hot, dusty street of Ojuelegba. The tray was filled with puff-puff, chin-chin, and plantain chips. He had been selling since morning, and his legs were beginning to ache. “Puff-puff! Hot puff-puff! Only fifty naira!” he shouted, moving from one shop to another. Most people ignored him. Some were kind. Others chased him away. But Fola didn’t stop. He had to make money. His mother, Mama Fola, was sick again, and his little sister, Seyi, hadn’t eaten since morning. He stopped near a busy junction and placed his tray on a small wooden bench to rest. Just then, a group of school boys passed by. One of them pointed at Fola and laughed. “Look at the puff-puff seller! Na so you go do forever!” the boy shouted. Fola looked at them. They wore clean school uniforms and shiny shoes. For a second, he felt sad. But he smiled and replied kindly, “One day, I will be great too.” The boys laughed louder and walked away. Fola didn’t let it bother him. He believed his time would come. He picked up his tray and kept moving. As he walked past a corner, he saw an old man sitting beside a broken fence. The man was wearing torn clothes and had a small black bag beside him. He looked hungry. Fola paused. Should I give him food? he thought. He looked at his tray. If he gave the man anything, he might not sell enough to buy food for Mama and Seyi. But still… Fola bent down and packed four puff-puffs into a small paper. “Baba,” he said gently, “take this. Eat.” The old man looked up. His eyes were tired, but when he saw the food, they lit up. He took the paper with shaking hands. “Thank you, my son. What’s your name?” the man asked. “Fola,” he said, smiling. “And you, Baba?” “Call me Chief Ade,” the man said softly. Then he gave a strange smile. Fola laughed. “Chief? But you look like—” The man cut him off with a twinkle in his eye. “Not all chiefs wear agbada, my boy. Sometimes, they wear dust.” Fola didn’t understand, but he laughed again. “Okay, Chief Ade. Enjoy your puff-puff.” He waved and walked away. What Fola didn’t know was this—Chief Ade was not an ordinary old man. He was watching Fola closely. That single act of kindness had just changed Fola’s life forever. But Fola had no idea. All he knew was that his feet hurt, his stomach was empty, and he needed to sell everything before nightfall. He didn’t know that his journey from the dusty streets of Lagos Mainland to wealth, secrets, and power had just begun
