With the shock of this revelation, king Ojopagogo in the form of the Queen quit all pretence, “It is the fifth day today, you are right, you have been right all along”. He admitted, “You’ve got to help me”, He said desperate for solution, to get out of this mystery.
“Their plan was to get you pregnant, that way you won’t be able to repossess your normal identity until you have put to bed”. The guard made the final revelation.
King Ojopagogo in the form of the Queen, understood when the guard said their plan, which implies chief Asubiaro was working with all other chiefs. “I know just how to handle this”.
“I bet you don’t”. The guard knew the king in the form of a Queen was thinking about avoiding having sex. “You must not go back to the palace, because if you do, you will definitely fall for their plot”.
“I can’t leave the palace, My absence will quickly be noticed, and where do I go to?”
“I have a save place”. The guard whose name is Dagunro offered, he had planned the whole thing with the driver, and two other servants at the palace working covert with them, “I know you have good intention for the kingdom, let me help you realise them”.
“Just let me regain my old self back first, and other things can come next”.
“You will definitely do, but you have to pay us two million dollars”. Dagunro stun the king.
“Why is everybody in the kingdom so money conscious?” King Ojopagogo in form of the Queen decried.
“Poverty!” Dangunro felt no remorse about his demand, “those collaborating with us have to be paid, and I need money for myself, my father left me nothing when he died”.
“Provided I turn back to a man as expected, you will be paid”. The king in the form of the Queen agreed.
Dagunro took the king in form of the Queen to a hide out at a suburb in the kingdom, It was after he regained his identity the third day that he returned to the palace.
CHAPTER SIX
He looks every bit like a man with mental problem, he was shabbily dressed, the upper edge of his lapel show some traces of dirtiness. This lost it significant when Shubomi saw him drinking from a bottle of whisky, and the bottle was half empty before he took a breath.
After Lowering the bottle, he replaced the whisky with a stick of marijuana, he took a long drag while his eyes glow red, before she knows what was happening, he had empty the bottle of liquor down his throat.
Shubomi’s attention was diverted from him, when she saw three more passengers trying to squeeze into the row where she was seated, increasing the number to four in the space for two. “What the hell is happening here?” she shouted.
“Give way for other passengers”, the bus conductor shouted in response.
“I can’t give.....” Shubomi does not know how to put it, “how many people do you want to stuff in this little space?” she finally asked.
“Four people”, the bus conductor replied rudely, “you are sure a J.J.C”, (JJC stands for journey just come), the conductor implied that she was new in town, that is why she will not know that passenger seat four in a row here in Kakuta.
The Bus manufacturer made three seating rows in the vehicle, one at the front, and two at the rear, but the transporters at Kakuta had adjusted the seats, creating additional row at the rear making it four rows, and the seat were stretch like a couch, removing the demarcation in the middle, in other to seat four passenger in the space meant for two.
“Whatever you mean by JJC”, she retorted, “I live in America, I only need a ride to the airport, and there is no way I can seat in this kind of arrangement”. She was climbing down from the cab as she spoke.
“Then suit yourself”. The bus conductor said and moves on to usher the passengers in without a single one of them protesting, before he went back shouting for passengers.
Surprisingly, the mad man, who she saw drinking and smoking stepped in for her, condemning the conductors attitude, then he explained to her drunkenly, “the next cab leaves in two hours”, he pointed the other cab waiting their turn to load after the bus, “unless you want to stay that long here...”
“My plane leaves in three hours”, she revealed, and the trip from the park to the airport is two hours.
“Then this is your cab”, after a brief contemplation he offered, “take the front seat beside the driver, that way you will have the whole space to yourself, but you will have to pay for two”. The man sound alright enough, he was not a mad man after all, except that he was drunk.
That was better, so Shubomi took the front seat, she could not understand the why two people have to share the passenger’s seat beside the driver, despite all that the transport fare was high compare to America.
She noticed the man who had just helped him, who she thought was a mad man a while ago sniffing some white particles again, she almost caution him that he was doing too much drug, but she decide to mind her business, since alcohol and hard drug were openly displayed at the park.
When all the seat in the bus has been occupied, the conductor collected the fare from the passengers, then a throng of drivers waiting their turn to load their cab converged and demanded a tip from the conductor, and he tipped them all, before the boy handed the remaining money to the supposed mad man who then jumped behind the wheel, adjusted the side mirror, twisted the ignition he was about moving the bus when Subomi held his hand, “don’t tell me you are going to drive this bus?” She almost included drunk as you are.
“What about that, I am driving of course”, the man seem full of himself.
“Boss I have said it that we should dump this J.J.C”, the conductor who is now squeezed between passengers feet shouted from the back of the bus.
“I cannot seat in the cab and let you drive”. Shubomi came down in protest.
“What is the matter?” some of the driver that got tipped the other time and expected the cab to be on its way come to ask.
The driver was apologetic, “I have been driving for ten years without a single record of accident, and this may be strange to you because you live in America, but here some of us cannot drive without drinking”.
The other drivers that had converged mocked when they learnt what her anger was about, they have never seen anybody do that before, “that is the truth, this guy cannot drive except he is drunk”, they confirmed the claim, “But you must be sober”, one of the drivers advised shubomi’s cab driver.
“Sure I will”, the driver assured, and that was only when shubomi got back to the cab. To her surprise the other passengers prayed for safety as the journey began, she cannot understand, while the Kakutaite will not take simple precaution like stopping a driver from getting drunk, but will lay the whole weight of the journey safety on God.
It was the most scary journey Shubomi had ever taking, the driver broke every rule in the traffic book, he will press the horn out of fun, at times just to scare other driver out of the way before overtaking, and ignore the horn when it is necessary.
She thought a police man will give the driver a ticket for drunk driving, when the other came close to the driver, and she suspected he must have perceive the alcohol in the driver’s breath, at a police check point, instead the police man only collected a bribe and nod the driver on, she was glad to get back to the airport safely. But she called king Ojopagogo about her terrible experience she had come to pay a visit to the king.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The embarrassing switch of identity happened the morning king Ojopagogo planned to take action over Subomi’s reported situation at the park, she had made the call the night before, as she landed in America, to report the alcohol and drug abuse at the parks at Kakuta kingdom to him. But the manipulation of his Identity now blew his anger out of proportion.
King Ojopagog after regaining his identity felt an urgent need to purge the Kingdom, he picked some trusted soldiers from the army, which he ordered to seize and seal off every drug and alcohol outlet in the kingdom. The soldiers were to arrest anyone who resists them.
/>
This action generated spontaneous reaction from the chiefs, who all matched to the palace to register their anger before the king, pretending like they were after the interest of the kingdom. Chief Asubiaro was their spoke person. “With due respect your highness, if you don’t know how this kingdom is run, you should consult.....”
“Meaning what Asubiaro?” The King countered.
Chief Asubiaro has to calm down, “the value added tax from the sales of alcohol went to finance the agriculture”. He explained weakly.
“Spare me that rubbish, we have better means to finance our agriculture”.
“Half the proceeds come to the palace too”. Chief Elemoso tried another tactics.
“Not to my palace!” The king argued.
“It comes to your Queen”. Chief Elemoso insisted.
This infuriated King Ojopagogo that he stood up, “I ban the sale of those items in the kingdom, and I will deal with anybody that stands on my way, and I will see to it that the Queen explain her role in the illicit trade”. That gave him the excuse he needed to deal with the Queen, over the switch of identity.
“There goes the agricultural finance”, Chief Asubiaro lamented.
“You don’t have to bother yourself, I will from this moment take over the agricultural ministry”.
***~~~***
The next day, king Ojopagogo sent out more soldiers to execute his order, they seize and sealed off every outlet that sells hard drug and alcohol in the Kingdom.
The feedback he got was that half of those outlets belong to the Chiefs, their wives and relatives. The chiefs’ worry has nothing to do with the kingdom, but their own selfish interest.
King Ojopagogo has all the boarders of the kingdom well defended to forestall smugglers from sneaking those goods into the kingdom. No more hooliganism was allowed at the park at Kakuta hence forth.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Taking over the agricultural ministry was not difficult as sustaining it, King Ojopagogo had deployed Dagunro to the farm lands, to ensure massive investment in food crops and cash crops, so there will be food security in the kingdom anymore.
Under three months there was a first harvest from one of the new farm, for the sector that has been tagged moribund by the chiefs. King Ojopagogo was there to launch the sale of maize the first produce from his agricultural intervention.
Six months of the agricultural activities, there was an attack on one of the farm, there was a gun fight, and the people working for the kingdom were displaced from the farm.
In response king ojopagogo sent some army to protect the farmers, by night fall there was a skirmish somebody had mobilized some dissident soldier to suppress the army sent by the king.
It was a show of wit, the king sent some marine, with the instruction to bring down the insurrection. He went further to summon the commander of the arm forces, to explain who was behind the rebellion.
The army chief have no explanation, there were saboteur in the army, which run so deep that it cannot be purged, and before the king knows it the kingdom was heading towards a civil war. The king could not afford a civil war, so he had to explore other means to manage the situation, but first he left the farm land alone.
On his part Dagunro suggested an all out battle to rid the kingdom of the cabal, that are behind this,, and he knew they will stop at nothing to devour the kingdom except the King destroy them first.
Dagunro was not the only person with this opinion. The king’s mother too suggested that there were cabal in the kingdom, but she advice that they have to be courted cautiously, or else they may consume the King first and then the kingdom.
King Ojopagogo had to tread carefully hence forth, he decided to invite the council of chiefs for dialogue over the lingering crisis, what he gathered from the meeting was shocking.
“Your highness, you have stepped too far this time around”. Chief Elemoso started, “haven’t you taking enough from the people?”
“After all you have taking the flourishing drug and alcohol business from the people, then this”. Asubiaro added as if they read from the same script.
“I don’t think I have stopped anybody from doing their business”. King Ojopagogo does not know how agriculture should threaten any business, “you all claimed Agriculture was not lucrative initially”. He revealed.
“We never said that your highness?” Chief Asipa countered.
“That was what you said over the funding of Agriculture. You guys said there will be no money to finance agriculture, remember? That was why I took it up”. King Ojopagogo explained his action. “And I did what I did for food security”.
“Come on Your highness!” Chief Olosa Molete said with bitterness, “there has never been a food shortage in the kingdom. Your intention was certainly devious”.
“If this is a joke it has got to stop”. The king stood to match Chief Olosa Molete’s aggression, “what you called food security were expensive food, imported food, which left the mass of the people in abject poverty”.
“That is where you get it all wrong”. Chief Asubiaro stepped in, because Chief Olosa Molete was scared to lecture the king on this issue, “reviving our agriculture will kill the thriving food importation business”.
It took quite some minutes before the meaning of that statement got to the king, “do you mean that the agricultural sector was neglected jus so you can import goods and food from abroad?”
Chief Olosa Molete, smiled now that the king has gotten the gist, “that way we will be able to import food, and sell it at whatever price we chose, if the people don’t have any choice”.
“That is a height of un-patriotism that is not possible anywhere else in this World”. The king condemned.
“That is not the truth, you are just bitter that some chiefs are making money than you do”. Chief Elemoso surprised the king with an obvious lie, “but we can help you, show you how to become rich over night, just leave us to do our business”.
“You can’t develop a kingdom this way, it has to stop”. The king half pleaded half instructed.
“We have just given you our condition for peace, the choice is yours”, all the chiefs threatened and they achieved their aim.
CHAPTER NINE
The king put together a huge celebration to herald the visit of the Secretary General of the united nation to Kakuta, he provided excess food and drinks, organised brilliant musical performances, parading different cultural artists, including dance, choreography and magical display.
The expectation of the ordinary citizens were on the high side, The king has worked very hard to bring down the UN Secretary General to the kingdom since becoming the king, he had told the people that he aimed to gain a developmental project from the UN for the Kingdom, this raised the hope of the people.
Initially the Secretary General of the United Nations was reluctant because he doubts the success of any United Nation’s projected in the kingdom, considering the fact that no such previous project had work in the kingdom, all the past projects were sabotage.
But the king has been all over the Secretary General of the United Nations, disabusing his mind about the attitude of his citizens, campaigning that they have changed, until the secretary general decided to come and see things for himself.
This reception was heart warming, so much that the Secretary General begin to belief that things has really changed at Kakuta, after the welcoming address delivered by the king, the Secretary General of the United Nations took the stand, “I am glad at the turn of invent in this kingdom, and the United Nation is ready to site a health care project here”.
The king was elated that he jumped on his feet, applauding this news, and his subject followed his lead, as soon as the Secretary General was done speaking, the king took the microphone.
“I offer to contribute building blocks, and I will add a hundred tons of cement to this project”. As the king was speaking, it was the turn of the Secretary General to applaud.
Next Asubiaro was on hi
s feet, the Secretary General expected him to donate something to the project as well, “now you will say we the leaders in Kakuta are not receptive to the development of the kingdom, when you are going about this without donating anything to the chiefs”.
“Are you drunk?” The king rose and shouted on Asubiaro, and he would have gone further, but the other was ready for a physical combat, so the king calms himself, “do you know this project will influence the kingdom development health wise?”
“You failed to recognise the fact that we the chiefs provide health services”, Asubiaro left it unsaid that the chiefs made money from travelling abroad for medical treatment from the government, “you can’t just take away our job without giving something back”.
“Alright then, I will see to it that you are compensated”. The king was obviously bitter, he can now understand why the UN Secretary General never wanted to visit the kingdom, this chiefs are more appropriate for the kingdom enemy than her leader.
“I always knew your people never change”, the United Nations Secretary General whispered to the king when he resumed his seat.
“Don’t worry, I get this all covered”, the king assured, though he was not too sure any more about the fate of the kingdom.
“I hope so”. The Secretary General said.
As the Secretary General had feared the United Nations project was never allow to succeed.
CHAPTER TEN
On the first anniversary of king Ojopagogo on the throne, he decided to celebrate it in style, though not much had changed in the kingdom, he had survived the swap of his identity, and He had not allow the chiefs to have their way all the time.
So many youths had now gotten jobs, not the best kind of job anyway, food were not as costly as it was in his Dad’s reign, he had succeeded in banning the sales of alcohol and other hard drugs.